Street Fighter IV: Pallet's Pantheon
by Pete the Rock
Summary: In a struggling slump, Ash receives a flier to participate in a martial arts tournament. Despite having little training, if at all, he enters and battles against some of the toughest fighters from all over the world to get his motivation back in gear.
1. The Losing Streak

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Street Fighter  
Summary: In a struggling slump, Ash receives a flier to participate in a martial arts tournament. Despite having little training, if at all, he enters and battles against some of the toughest fighters from all over the world to get his motivation back in gear.

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_**Street Fighter IV: Pallet's Pantheon**_

_Chapter 1: The Losing Streak

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"Pikachu, no!" a raven-haired teen male cried out as his mouse was crushed with a massive punch. The yellow mouse with the lightning bolt for a tail fell hard onto the dirt, out for the count and eyes knocked silly. The opponent, a giant blue horned beetle, stood confidently with a chestnut brunette male in green. A tanned brunette in mostly brown rose his arm on the side of the beetle.

"Pikachu is unable to battle," he announced. "Heracross wins and the victory goes to Chase." Chase grinned at his victory.

"Ash, don't tell me that's your best," he sneered. "Sneasel and Alakazam were hardly scratched. Maybe you should retire and get yourself a new finding." He snorted a laugh and walked off. Ash crumpled to his knees in failure. Pikachu stirred and came over to Ash who wasn't feeling chipper. The brunette knelt down and placed a hand on his shoulder, worried about his good friend. If it was one loss, no problem. Just bounce right back. Unfortunately...

"That's your fifth loss in a row." It turned out that Ash was in a funk of struggles. Five losses seemed to be huge on him. Pikachu was even more bothered with Ash's troubles. "What wrong, Ash?" Ash wasn't wanting to admit a problem. Probably because he didn't know why he was in this struggling streak.

"I...I don't know," whimpered Ash. He sat on the grass, contemplating what to do. He was in heavy thinking. He was 0-5 in his last five battles. Was he ready for any future battles? His friend didn't think he had it in him to continue his quest at the moment.

"Look, maybe what you need is to spend a few days to relax and study up on your losses. The last two badges can wait." Ash could go after the last badges now but with the slump, it's probably not a good idea. He rose to his feet, an idea at least on his mind.

"I need to be alone for a little while." He started to walk off with Pikachu on his shoulder. Then he stopped for a second. "Brock, could you inform May and Max not to pursue me for sometime? I want to do some soul searching." Brock nodded, feeling that pressure with others would not benefit his well being.

"Just be careful." Ash resumed his stroll. Ten minutes of walking and Ash and Pikachu were out of sight. Opening the balls he had, he released a tortoise in a charcoal shell, a large black bird with some red feathers around the eyes, a tall green gecko with leaves on arms and a red crustacean with rather large pincers. They all seemed to be okay.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I let you all down." The tortoise and the bird were pretty surprised with Ash's admittance. The bird flapped its wing softly on Ash's back.

("Back you, always,") the tortoise croaked. Nice to know one of them would stick by him.

("Always tough, always right!") the crustacean cheered for the confidence.

("You'll rebound quickly, partner,") the gecko promised. Ash's creatures sure were supportive of him.

"Thanks, you guys," he smiled. Pikachu was there to ease some of the heartbreak Ash felt. As they helped their master, a piece of paper wafted in the soft breeze. The winds died down and the paper fell onto the crustacean who felt it. Using the pincer, the crustacean pulled off the paper and noticed words and pictures on it. The pictures had men fighting. "Hey, Corphish, watch ya got there?" Corphish handed the paper to Ash who studied it. Pikachu climbed up and saw what was on it.

("Well, Ash?") Pikachu wondered. Ash realized that this paper was a ticket.

"It's an invitation to a tournament." What was the tournament? Let's look at it.

BY READING THIS PAMPHLET, YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED TO THE WORLD'S LARGEST MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT, STRETCHING FROM TOKYO TO SAN FRANCISCO AND FROM SIBERIA TO RIO DE JANERIO. ALL MARTIAL ARTISTS AND ALL FIGHTING STYLES ARE ACCEPTED. THERE'S NO AGE REQUIREMENT AND NO FEE TO ENTER. THE GRAND PRIZE IS A LARGE CASH PAYOUT AS WELL AS IMMORTALITY IN THE HALLS OF THE STREET FIGHTER HALL OF FAME.

A martial arts tournament?This could be the ticket for Ash to be back on top of his game. Hold on...did Ash have a fighting style? He started to shake his head, thinking that this wasn't for him. "Me? A street fighter? Please~!" He tossed the pamphlet to the side...only to have it come back at him and slap his face. Peeling off the pamphlet, Ash was getting annoyed. He turned to the tortoise. "Torkoal, use Flamethrower." Torkoal fired flames and struck the paper. It was on fire, but it didn't burn like normal paper. When the fire was extinguished, the paper was intact.

("What's that paper made out of?") Pikachu gasped. No one had an idea about this indestructible paper. They had no idea about who came by.

"Excuse me," a man called out. Ash and the creatures turned to a tall, muscular blond man. His hair bowed out like an upside-down umbrella with a flat top. He wore a green tank top, camouflaged pants and a tattoo of the USA flag. "It seems you've been invited to the Street Fighter tournament." Ash? Really?

"I...didn't really ask for it. I think this is yours." The blond shook with a smile.

"There's a reason you've been given a special invite. Let's start off with your name, soldier." Easy enough for Ash, just introduce yourself.

"M-My name?"

"That's right. Identify yourself." Ash took a deep breath before introducing himself.

"Ash Ketchum, sir." The man looked a little satisfied with the name.

"Occupation?" Sir, take a look at his creatures. Obviously, he has one going.

"Pokémon trainer." That took a bit of effort. The blond observed the creatures again, believing that these were Pokémon.

"Are these all your...Pokémon? These five?" Ash glanced at his team, signifying that these were indeed Pokémon.

"They're my current lineup." The man was being more informed each line Ash spoke about.

"Okay, then. Fighting style?" This was the moment Ash began to trip up on. Did he have a style? He thought about it. Something to defend himself.

"I..." A lost for words, Ash was. "I can't say for sure." This left the blond scratching his head. "Trainers go by a law forbidding aggressive behavior among other trainers." With that extra tidbit, the blond understood where Ash stood.

"This could be a problem. Perhaps my men could give you some training." His men? "I go by Colonel Guile. I'm a member of the United States Special Forces on a mission involving a couple criminal organizations. I may need your help in this." Ash's help. This was a military man. "Come. My jet's idling." He's got a jet? Before Ash decided to follow Guile, he recalled his Pokémon except for Pikachu. That ran up onto his shoulder. A little stroll later and the man and boy came across a giant silver fighter jet. Reaching in the cockpit, Guile tossed a helmet to Ash. What, none for Pikachu? Ash gave Pikachu his cap as he fit the helmet. "Take the front seat. The controls are in the back." Ash and Pikachu hopped onto the front seat in the cockpit as Guile grabbed the stick in back. That's when Ash realized that there wasn't any room for the jet to properly take off.

"How are we suppose to fly without a proper runway?" Guile smiled, knowing more than Ash figured.

"You're talking about state-of-the-art technology with these jets. The boosters will lift us off without a problem." The boosters twisted with the exhaust facing the ground. Blasts of fire rocked the jet and rattled Pikachu a bit. The boosters lifted the jet above the tree lines and turned back over to it's original positions. Finally the engines kicked in and sent the jet away in a flash. This may have been the last time Ash would be with friends. The jet flew over the ocean, destination only Guile knew. Suddenly, the jet flew into a cloud. It began to shake rather violently.

"Oh boy!"

"Relax, kid!" How? Finally, they exited the cloud and the shaking had ceased. That's when Gulie spotted their stop. "Up ahead, Ash! The USS Charlotte!" Ash and Pikachu looked ahead and saw a massive carrier battleship. One man wearing camouflaged as well was waving bright orange flags. The jet dipped, aiming at the runway of the floating vessel. "Hang on!" The jet's tiny wheels popped out along with a hook underneath the underbelly. The wheels touched down and the hook snagged a rope which pulled on the jet. The G-forces jerked Ash and Pikachu forward violently, the seat belt helping little to restrain the two. Finally, the jet stopped. Several military men came to the jet to make sure Guile was alright.

"Col. Guile, are you okay, sir?" one navy man wondered. Guile removed his helmet and grabbed a comb, swiping his hair to stay upright.

"At ease, soldier." Both saluted each other with open hands to the forehead sideways with the thumb adjacent to the eye. "Men, it is a great honor to bring over a new fighter. This is Ash Ketchum, a Pokémon trainer from Pallet Town. He'll be training here for a month en route to the Street Fighter circuit. Help him out when need be."

"Yes, sir!" the group saluted. Guile didn't look but seemed satisfied with what could be a great deal. He looked up to the sky.

'Charlie, I may need my new partner but I will stop Shadaloo. I will take Bison down!' A revenge? Led inside, the men escorted Ash and Pikachu to a gym. The gym was filled with stationary bikes, barbells, dumbbells, punching bags, speed bags, you name it. They awed the workout equipment. There was so much to do.

"Okay, let's see what I can do," Ash grinned as he approached the giant punching bag. He swung a punch, striking the bag with plenty of force. His training began...

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_(One month later/Exciting Street Scene in India)_

The form had been filled out for Guile to turn in, wherever it had to go. This is what the form read:

Name: Ash Ketchum  
Home: Pallet Town, ?  
Occupation: Pokémon Trainer  
Fighting Style: Freestyle Kickboxing  
Height: 4' 6"  
Weight: 100 lbs.  
Special Moves: Call for Pokémon, Focus Fury  
Likes: Pokémon, Spicy foods, thrill of battle  
Notes: High vitality and endurance. He seeks motivation after losing his last 5 Pokémon battles. Punches and kick weak but powerful if in a combination.

Freestyle kickboxing? Ash being added to the tournament meant this was his moment to shine better. He didn't change his wardrobe but he was a bit more muscular. We found Ash sampling a spicy soup in a rather crowded place with Pikachu. "Man, I heard India was packed in population but I didn't think it was this bad," he stuttered. He paid for his meal after the two scarfed the soup like it was cereal. A bit of walking later...

"So, you're the new addition that's been rumored," a male voice echoed. What stood in his way?

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TO BE CONTINUED...

(So, who's the first opponent for Ash? It'll be a choice of Dan, Rufus or Dhalsim. Winner will fight Ash in his first bout since converting momentarily to Street Fighting. Second, sorry about the sudden delay but another family issue rose, but it's good news. My new cousin was entered to the world, Mindy Rae. Lastly, a shout out to my team in the NFC Championship game on Sunday. GO PACK GO!)


	2. Rather DanDy of a Warrior

_Chapter 2: Rather Dan-Dy of a Warrior

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Ash and Pikachu gazed at the brunette male standing in the road in front. The guy had a braided ponytail in his hair and wore a...(Snicker) What the heck's he doing wearing pink? No, seriously...he had on a pink sleeveless martial arts outfit without shoes. He's barefoot. "Let's see," he began to study Ash. "You don't look like someone who's a real street fighter. Heck, why would a shrimp like you join in?" Ash was rather bewildered at being called out. Heck, he was rather dumbfounded with the new character.

"And you are?" he asked. The pink man became jostled with the sudden remark. Straightening out, he faced the opponent as a crowd gathered the three. Three since Pikachu was on Ash's shoulder.

"Come on! I'm the best fighter in the circuit, the one who's father was a great street fighter in his era! You're facing the master of Saikyō-Ryū, Dan Hibiki!" That's an interesting fighting style. Still either acting dumb or really having no clue what Dan was talking about, Ash rose an eyebrow in confusion.

"Master of...what?" Dan got irate at the belief Ash mocked him.

"Didn't you hear what I just said? It's people like you who have no appreciation of martial arts and the masters who've trained for years! Get ready for a beating!" He set his legs and began to waive his arms in circles, wanting to be attacked. Pikachu was ready to help Ash. However...

"I got him, Pikachu." Pikachu was rather baffled with Ash's reply to the challenge. Ash removed his cap and gave it to Pikachu who retreated into the crowd. As it got away to see if his master would be successful, it bumped into a boot. It rubbed the ear from the bump and looked up. There was a red cloak with a female blond under it. The blond reached down and picked Pikachu from the ground.

"Aren't you a cute little mouse?" she cooed to the bewildered Pokémon in an English accent. She had a large scar around her right cheek which wrapped under her chin. She glanced at the trainer and the master of the Saikyō-Ryū who were ready to fight, Ash showing more confidence than when he suffered his five-battle losing streak. "I take it the kid's your owner, is he?" Pikachu squeaked to confirm her suspicion. "If he can neutralize that shod, he may be an acceptable participant of the Street Fighter circuit." Those two waited for the first move as a bookie exchanged money with those surrounding the warriors, wagering who would win between Ash and Dan.

"Odds have Pinky Dan at five-to-one," the bookie calculated. The odds seemed to weigh on the fact that this was Ash's first fight in the circuit since converting from training Pokémon. Most of the crowd were backing Dan. The blond stood forward.

"50,000 Rupees on the boy." Whoa, she's going for broke. The bookie's face froze in a bit of fear. Did he know this lady? She had her stack of money in hand, ready to bet.

"S-Sure thing, M-Miss Cammy." He finally was handed the money. Dan was getting impatient with this staring standoff.

"What's wrong?" Dan mocked. "Don't know how to fight?" That made Ash raise his eyebrow again. Dan suddenly flashed a grin. "Gotcha..." Dan moved first...with a mighty leap into the sky. "Woo-hoo!" Ash was shocked to see how high Dan jumped.

"Whoa, I don't think I can jump that high!" he gulped. Dan was about as high as the shortest building. Ash started to struggle with this serious height problem. Dan shot his foot out, beginning his descent with a diving kick. He was coming in with quite a velocity...and Ash flashed a grin. He did a spin and swung a high kick, catching Dan's fall. In instant reaction time which could calculate about a quarter of a second, Ash jumped with the ground leg that absorbed the impact and swung it out. POW! Ash's kick blasted Dan in the jaw. He did try to lift his arms to deflect the swing but wasn't quick enough. That kick knocked Dan from the air to face first into the dirt. He bounced and rolled a couple of times before resting and trying to get up. He did but the shot got him good in the chops. The crowd was stunned with the sudden switch in momentum. Ash raced in at the still reeling master, eyes still seeing stars. Let the punching barrage begin! Alternating lefts and rights, jabs and hooks, Ash was rolling strike for strike and not allowing Dan any offense. It was practically a cakewalk for Ash. Finally, Ash wound up an uppercut. That's when the oddity occurred. As he fired his finishing punch, his fist suddenly combusted in flames. Ash didn't stop and check in time as he decked Dan in the teeth. That'll knock some molars out. A flash of fire crossed his face as Dan collapsed to the ground. Motionless, Dan lied on the dirt road.

"F...Father..." he faintly groaned. He was missing some teeth as well as having burn marks around the mouth, looking like an ugly goatee. Most of the bystanders came over to aid the fallen master.

"He's alive," one woman noticed.

"Man, he got his ass handed to him," a man shuttered.

"I've got doctors en route," another man informed. Ash looked on in concern that he may have permanently injured the opponent. Medical crews arrived and whisked Dan away on a gurney. Was this how the circuit works?

"Wait!" Dan groaned. The doctors stopped at Dan's roar of calling. "Let...Let me...have a word with the winner..." Hearing Dan's request, Ash dashed over to meet him. "I completely underestimated you. My... Saikyō-Ryū school could...without a doubt do you plenty of good. Pokémon trainers...are stronger than they appear and I think you can go far. If you cross Blanka...or Sakura, tell them I'm on the sidelines for sometime." Dan rose his weakened arm where Ash clasped it.

"I will," he promised. "You take it easy." The groggy Dan nodded before the paramedics carried him off. The bookie, shocked about Dan's upset loss, was shuffling the rupees and fixed the amount for Cammy's payday.

"250,000," he grumbled. "You won this." Dan was favored five-to-one, meaning the payment for Ash's win multiplied Cammy's wager by five. Cammy accepted the reward.

"You're too kind," she exaggerated after the bookie turned his back on her. The bookie kept whatever was left and...left. What, nothing for Ash? Cammy and Pikachu came to Ash's side where Cammy split the rupees to hand to Ash. "That was quite a dominance, young man. I don't think Sir Ego laid a finger on you." Ash now faced Cammy as Pikachu was reunited with the victor.

"Will Dan be alright?" he asked.

"You did mangle him but good. Even that last strike was fascinating. However, there are some of the best doctor here in India and some from rather distant Israel who understand the struggles of the Street Fight circuit." Satisfied that Dan was in good hands, Ash breathed a sigh of relief. "By the way, how did you make your punch burn up like that?" Burn up? Ash checked the fingerless glove but didn't see any trace of fire, not even smoke. Weird!

"Was my hand on fire?"

("Yeah, when you finished that guy off,") Pikachu pointed out. ("It looked like a Fire Punch!") A Pokémon move.

'Now that I think about it, I did see a streak of fire when I decked Dan. Perhaps there's more to this than I want to imagine. Did Guile's men help me?' Before Ash could make any hypotheses on what the heck he used, Cammy presented the money.

"Here," she offered. "100,000 Rupees. Your earning for today's flawless victory." 40% of Cammy's winnings were shifted to Ash.

("There's something that hasn't change,") Pikachu joked. Reluctant, Ash received the money. That's when something hit him: he didn't know who she was.

"By the way, are you a Street Fighter?" he questioned. Cammy smiled, expecting this question.

"Perhaps I am," she tried to mislead. "Right now, it's best to rest and move on. I'll see you sometime, love." Was that a flirt? Whatever the case, she strolled off. That left Ash, Pikachu and the 100K. They stood in dumbfound stares. Finally, Ash's eyes and grin saw the only thing he needed to worry about: the next step. It seemed like Ash had his winning confidence back.

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_(Near Skyscraper Under Construction/Metro City, USA)_

It's been a few days since Ash's dominant win over Dan. Coming over to the US and converting the Rupees to dollars, Ash got around $2,000 from Cammy. A pretty penny. He actually had a cell phone and was seen talking to it with Pikachu on his shoulder. "So, that's why you've been gone," a boy on the cell realized. "Man, I would oppose the idea of being turned to a Street Fighter."

"I know, Max," Ash wanted to agree. "But after how I beat my first opponent, I could see why that ticket chose me. I still thank the colonel for the phone and connecting us." Just then, Brock decided to jump in.

"So, Ash," he spoke. "How did it feel to break that losing streak?"

"I don't know. I wanna say what it feels like being acquitted of a serious crime." That's a unique analogy. "Speaking of crimes, I've noticed that Team Rocket's been away from us for sometime. You don't think those three tried to follow me and Pikachu over here, do you?" If that's true, Ash would have more to worry about than the warriors in the circuit.

"I don't know about that. I think that Dan character you mentioned was all bark and no bite, but the other fighters may give you a run for your money." A note that Ash won't take lightly.

"Yeah, I've already had that note handed to me on the carrier. Listen, I'm gonna cut off. I've got a bit of company."

"Okay, Ash. I'll make sure to tell May that you're okay."

"Yeah, hate to make her worry." Hitting a button, Ash disconnected the connection for now. As for the company, they were small children, no older than seven.

"That's a real Pikachu!" one girl screeched out.

"Oh my gosh!" a boy cheered. The score of kids frolicked around Ash and Pikachu, wanting to play with the Pokémon. Were they not aware of the young Street Fighter? Ash was feigning for a way out of the kids when he was saved. There was a park with slides, swings, wheels and a sandbox. An idea...

"I do have more," Ash spoke. "Let's step into the park and I can show you who I got." That got the kids more excited. Crossing the street, Ash released the Pokémon once again. The kids started to play with the Pokémon like they were in an amusement park. Watching the kids with the creatures, Ash began to contemplate on the impact these Street Fighters have with children. 'These kids who see this violence everyday. I feel sorry for all these children who can't step outside and not see two men engage in pointless fisticuffs.' He should be thinking about what he's saying. He's been dealing with violence on a daily basis. 'I should probably ask my next opponent about the consequence involving today's youth.' Be careful what you wish for. Coming onto the scene was a blond male in a red martial arts outfit, looking like what Dan wore.

"Hey, what's going on here?" he spoke, alerting Ash...and the kids who got even more excited. These kids were more giddier than if they were in a candy store.

"Ken!" they cheered as a great portion break to meet the man who was more buff than Dan. Ken seemed to greet the crowd of kids.

"How's Eliza doing?" one girl asked.

"We're due to have our first child in a week," Ken answered. He's about to become a father. Talk about a glorious moment in life. That's when one boy realized who Ken was and turned to Ash.

"Hey, Mr. Masters?" he spoke up. Ken turned to the boy as he shot back to Ash. "Did you hear about this guy and his battle against Dan?" That's when Ken and Ash began to face each other...smiling too. "You better be careful, kid. Ken is the US Martial Arts Champion." To learn that Ken was a champion stoked Ash. He could be a better opponent than Dan was. For Ash and Ken, the battle of the trainer-turned-Street Fighter and the champion and soon to be father was about to get exciting in front of Ash's Pokémon and the kids.

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TO BE CONTINUED...

(So the next match for Ash will be against Ken Masters in the construction site. Keep voting on who you want to see Ash battle in future chapters up to Chapter 7 because chapters 8 and 9 will have the rival battle and the battle with Seth. Secondly, I want to congratulate the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers on their AFC and NFC Championships. See you in Arlington, TX!)


	3. One Tough Father

_Chapter 3: One Tough Father...

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Ken Masters...Ash Ketchum...The US Martial Arts Champion...Seasoned Pokémon Trainer... A battle in the making. Ash was coming off his overwhelming upset against Dan Hibiki. "So, you're the upcoming star in the circuit?" Ken realized. "After the news about that phony being taken down by what he called a runt, I wasn't surprised. Heck, he'd barely last half a second against Ryu's and my master." In other words, don't get too confident beating Dan. He sucks.

"You make it sound like even a baby can take down that big mouth," he exaggerated. Ken chuckled, feeding on the sense of humor Ash had. "I can already tell that you're gonna be tougher than him. But don't expect me to back off." That's an attitude Ken smirked on.

"I'm ready for you..." He spun toward the site. "...Up there." He pointed to a high level of the skyscraper during the building.

"In the construction site?"

"It's certified, and it's also keeping the kids safe." Sure it'll keep the kids from harm but really? Doing it in the construction site? Feeling like there was no choice, Ash agreed to the battle. Both man and boy entered the site and gave one of the foremen a note to inform them of the upcoming fight.

"Alright, but I still don't know why the organization chose our site," the head foreman shrugged. "I hope Mayor Haggar knows what he's thinking allowing some of the fights here." Using an I-beam as an elevator, Ash and Ken rose to a high floor where a giant brunette scruffy man and a frizzy pink-haired lass in orange jumpsuits and yellow hardhats spotted the fighters. The building was about to be a battlefield.

"New fight," the giant man grumbled.

"Looks like Mr. Masters won't sit down with the US belt," the lady scoffed. Using the black bird, Pikachu flew up to monitor Ash's fight with the reigning US champion. The crowd of construction workers gathered on the same floor and brought out money.

"It's Street Fighter newbie Ash Ketchum vs. US Champion Ken Masters!" one of the supervisors announced the match. "Odds are 25 to one in favor of Ken!" Odds were much bigger against Ash this time. This wasn't a pretender like Dan was...and nobody was going to wager on Ash. Pikachu could but what would he have to offer? The frizzy woman chose to step up.

"Okay, gentlemen," she called. "Let's have a good clean fight."

"Yeah, Poison, you tell 'em!" one more worker cheered. Ash was ready. Ken was ready.

"Here we go...FIGHT!" The fighters raced in. Ash threw the basic 1-2 punch but Ken deflected the strikes before throwing a jab which Ash ducked. He wound his leg for a kick, forcing Ken to brace for the other limb to strike. As he readied the foot, he spotted Ash's eyes smirking. How eyes smirk is complicated. Setup! Ash launched a looping right hand. The Superman punch! Ken spun his body, dodging the punch by an inch. The miss leveled Ash off-balance. He rolled once before regaining his feet just as Ken cocked his arms back. That's when a blue ball began to emerge between his hands.

"Hadoken!" he roared as he fired...a blue fireball! Ash was caught by surprise. He certainly wasn't expecting anyone to use fire like that. BAM! Ash was floored, literally. He barely wasted time getting back up. Ken was ready to go for more. Backing his composure, Ash was prepared for more.

"Okay!" he scoffed, enjoying this new challenge. "I need to keep an eye out for that in the future." He ran back at Ken.

"Bring it on!" Ash was ready to bring it. He leaped into the air. He wanted to rain a strike down. Ken wasn't having it that way. "Shoryuken!" Ken did an uppercut which propelled him into the sky and at Ash who didn't really prepare for Ken's flaming uppercut. Yes, Ken's arm was on fire. The uppercut nailed Ash...or did it? Ash vanished, shocking Ken. As he came down, in came a kick! POW! Ken spotted and rose his leg to defend himself and in time. The block may have done minimal damage but propelled Ken back. They resettled themselves in the same square off. "Looks like I'm not the only one with unique abilities." Ash smiled to Ken's praise.

"That you can thank my Swellow for teaching me that Double Team." That wouldn't be the bird what Pikachu rode in, would it? So, Ash learned Double Team from his Pokémon. Unique, Ken nailed. Squared again, Ken and Ash seemed equaled. Kinda makes the odds more even, right? Ken jumped right back into attack mode and...

"Hurricane Kick!" Ken began to spin once taken to the air with a foot sticking out. Mystified, Ash felt powerless. Suddenly, his vision began to slow down and watch the spinning champion. Seeing the slow-motion, Ash began to study the move. That's when he saw Ken start to come down...and he was closing in. Ash cocked his fist back, a white glow emitting. Speed restored, Ken was swinging his leg once more as Ash raced in. Ken swept the ground with his still extended foot and try to trip Ash. Key word: try. Ash hopped over the foot.

"Head's up!" He fired the glowing arm which...KABOOM! The punch leveled Ken and smacked his head to the iron floor. He hit so hard, he bounced back to the air. Ash landed on the other side of him, ready to do more. He punted Ken to the air and leaped after him. Ken was at the mercy of his opponent. "Say good night!" He swung one more punch, his hand on fire once more. KAPOW! Ken was out. His body hit the floor once more and he remained lying there. Once Ash landed, he fell to a knee, wiped out. His heavy breathing told him he did some work. The workers rushed to Ken's aid. He began to rise.

"Take it easy, Masters," one guy warned him of possible injuries.

"Damn, that kid's good," he groaned with a smile. The supervisor gave Poison the thumbs up.

"He'll be okay," he reported. "But his battling day's done for now." Poison acknowledged the outcome.

"Your winner by TKO, Ash Ketchum!" she announced. There were some cheers but everyone was pretty upset. They all bet against Ash and he won. Ash grasped his ribs in pain. He walked away from the fight against Dan without a scratch. This was a whole different story. He limped over to see if Ken was okay.

"You gonna be okay?" he worryingly asked. Ken looked at Ash with that smile.

"Gimme a couple of minutes," he moaned. "I don't know who the hell your trainer is but give him my kudos." Ash bobbed a nod as Pikachu and Swellow came over to see their conditions. It spooked the workers but not Poison. She picked Pikachu up and petted it while Ash helped Ken onto his feet.

"That was a great fight, you two," she praised. "Kid, you are nothing short of incredible. Heck, I thought I was something against Mike and Cody." Ash and Ken snickered, humored by the admittance of the lady ref.

"Weren't you a member of the Mad Gear gang sometime ago?"

"Me, yeah but so were a couple members of Hugo's brood. I'm still reeling from some pain from those years back." Time should heal all wounds. Guess her's still linger. Sometime later, the two descended from the skyscraper and onto earth. The kids surrounded the two worn out warriors anxious to know the outcome. Ken had to break the news.

"I'm sorry, kids. Ash was the better man today." The kids were upset. They looked up to Ken like a superhero. They began to berate the champion.

"Hey, give Ken some credit," Ash tried to ease. "He actually fought hard and gave me a run for my money. He's a really great fighter." Ken nodded to the positive review.

"Thanks, Ash." The kids and Pokémon helped Ash and Ken back to the park to relax. A couple of minutes later, there was a ring. Ash turned to his bag, but it wasn't the phone given by Guile. Ken pulled his phone from his bag. "This is Ken." A moment of silence. That's when Ken's eyes widened. "How long ago?" More silent chatting... "And Eliza?" … "Okay. I'm on my way." He hung up the phone. The kids were anxious to know what's going on. A smile on Ken's face got Ash suspicious. "I'm sorry, I gotta go." Ken got up in some pain and walked to a white SUV. "Ash, come on!" Ash was invited? Slightly stunned with this invite, Ash recalled his creatures and dashed to the SUV to join the champ. Both fighters arrived at a hospital ten minutes later. Entering, a doctor still wearing a sky blue smock met them.

"Mr. Masters, thank you for coming," he greeted. "Eliza's this way." Ken and Ash began to follow the doctor when a nurse, wearing what appeared to be pajama pants and a white lab coat, snagged Ash on the shoulder.

"Hold on, son," she called. Ken heard the nurse holding Ash back and turned to see about a solution.

"He's with me," he claimed. The brunette nurse chose to listen and let Ash on his way. They reached the room and Ken opened the door. On a bed was a rather young blond female in a bed gown. "Eliza!" The blond woke to see Ken, happy that he came to her aid.

"Ken, I'm so glad you came," she weakly groaned. Ash and Pikachu came in as well to meet Ken's girl. That's when ken spotted a little blond boy. It was a baby.

"So, he's here. My goodness. I've got so much joy..."

"He's only a couple hours old." Just haven't had much of a chance to extend his limbs yet. Suddenly, Eliza spotted the trainer. "Who might you be, young man?" Ash wasn't ashamed about introductions.

"My name's Ash," he responded. "And on my shoulder is Pikachu."

("Hi, Eliza,") Pikachu greeted. Eliza giggled with the cuteness of the little Pokémon.

"My, aren't you the playful little thing," she cooed. Pikachu joined in a chuckle or two. But that noise woke the baby up, crying from the volume. Hearing the tiny newcomer to the world, Ken plucked the newborn and cradled him into his arms. The little boy started to calm down, feeling comfort in Ken's muscular arms.

"Easy now, my son," he whispered. His fingers stroked the soft head of the tiny boy. "Mel...Welcome to the Masters' family." Mel... Eliza and Ash were happy for the new family member. Ash and Pikachu left after awhile and stood outside the hospital to allow Ken and Eliza to enjoy the bundle of joy. He began to think back to when he was a baby and could imagine what Mel's life could be like.

"Excuse me," another man called. Ash and Pikachu heard someone call for them and turned to a brunette in white. Much like Dan and Ken, this man wore a white sleeveless martial arts uniform but also sported a red headband. "Has Ken been around?" He's concern about Ken and what timing.

"Yeah, he's inside with his newborn son," Ash answered. The man was rather flattered with the news.

"Ken's a dad now? Wow!" As if this man's appearance wasn't enough...

"Ash!" sounded Guile. "Ryu!" The two turned to the military man. It was Guile.

"Colonel, what's up?" Ash wondered. Guile was happy to see Ash still standing.

"I heard that you've been tearing up the circuit." Tearing up the circuit was rather extreme. Ash bashfully shrugged his shoulders.

"So, how have you been doing since Charlie's murder?" Ryu brought up. It was mentioned after Ash was introduced onto the USS Charlotte. Ash was startled to hear about a murder.

"He's not dead. I don't know how but I know he's alive somewhere." Conflicting stories...or were they? "It's not enough that I need to worry about Shadaloo and to have it's branch network into the fray." So there's more to this circuit than Ash might have anticipated.

"Is there something I can do?" he asked. Guile didn't want to jeopardize Ash's life on the news of an organization running the show. Ryu chose to speak up for the colonel.

"That's for us to figure out," he denied. "You worry about your own agenda." Ash nodded, though feeling rejected in helping the adults with the issue.

"By the way, here," Guile said as he offered Ash tickets. "There's a helicopter ride which can guide you to a cruise ship in Europe. Just keep your guard up on who might be on board." Ash and Pikachu were going to be on a cruise liner. He didn't seem excited but fate, and Guile, told him that the ship was his next destination. No choice, he accepted.

* * *

_(Ancient Temple, East Asia)_

As if Ash's problems weren't enough with Shadaloo, three figures appeared in an old temple. One was a female with wavy blood red hair. She wore a white mid-drift shirt with a red 'R' on it, white skirt and black thigh-high boots. One was a male with dampened blue hair. He donned a white uniform with that same red 'R' on it. The third was a cat with a gold oval coin wedged in it's forehead. "So, how exactly did we wind up here?" the redhead wondered. "The twerp and Pikachu couldn't have gone far." The twerp? They couldn't mean Ash, could they?

"I told you that it was a bad idea to pursue him Jessie," the blue-haired man concernedly warned. "If the twerp and his Pikachu, then where could they be?" As the two mellow down, a dark figure emerged in the background, alerting the cat. It turned around and saw glowing red eyes. The fur on it's body spiked in fear.

"Uh, guys?" it...or he stuttered. "We're not alone!" Jessie and the blue-haired turned to see a redhead male in a black shredded martial arts uniform with a rope around his waist. The hair was more spiky than Brock's by a mile. "Maybe if we ask if he's seen the twerp, he can show us." Sure, ask someone who's eyes were glowing demonic red. Jessie smirked. She liked the idea?

"Hey, bub!" she called out. "We're looking for a twerp with a Pikachu. Perhaps you've seen him." The man made no movement, no sound either. That irritated Jessie. "I asked you a question. Answer me!" You want an answer?

"You're pathetic!" he answered in a very dark tone. Ouch! The cat and the blue-haired were easily frightened. Jessie's got guts.

"Really? Perhaps you don't know us. We're the invincible Team Rocket." She brought out a ball just like a bunch Ash had.

"Invincible? Don't make me laugh! I am Akuma, and I'll show you the meaning of pain!" Akuma really called that into question. To make his point, he fired two violet fireballs and blasted her partners. They were out. So much for them being invincible. Jessie saw that, not really impressed. How about him zipping at her. This can't be good. A massive and immediate flurry of strikes decimated Jessie. She was out before Akuma was finished. He fired one more and the group was blasted from the temple.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" the three cried as they flew through the night sky. Bye!

* * *

_(Ballroom inside the Cruise Ship Stern, Europe)_

Days after Ash's stunning upset against Ken, Ash became spectator to a match occurring on the dance floor on the cruise ship mentioned by Guile. He and Pikachu were pigging out on the buffet food while a battle of muscled colors waged war on the dance floor. Seriously, one was red...not redhead like Jessie or Akuma. His skin was completely red. He wore a blue helmet with stubs and blue oily pants. The other was green. Again, his skin was really green. His orange hair and khaki pants didn't really hide the snarl he scorned at the grinning red man. Ash kept his eye on the beaten but still standing green man. "For Dan to be friends with him took a lot of guts," he surveyed. Was the green guy, Blanka?

"Come on, my friend," the red man taunted with a seemingly heavy . "Is this the best you got against the king of Turkish Oil Wrestling?" Oil Wrestling?

"Just because I can't grab you in slime," he snarled. "Doesn't mean I can't roll over you!" Like a tiger after its prey, the green man raced after the king before he lunged...and balled up. He was going to bowl him over.

"That's gotta be an aerial Rollout!" Ash believed. The king wasn't impressed and whipped out...bottles? He wasn't going to use them to smack the green guy, was he? No, the bottles were oil and he showered himself in it. Then he lied down. Why? The green man rolled onto the red man's stomach...but wasn't getting traction. This ought to be good. The green man broke from his roll and slipped. He landed back first onto the red man's gut before rolling him onto his stomach. The red man then spun on top of his back like a helicopter before hooking his legs around his neck and his arms around his stomach. That's when he began to squeeze down. "I'm not sure if I should be impressed, humored or worried about Hakan's wrestling style. Blanka's really getting wrung out." Not for long. Like a rocket and sort of like Team Rocket per say, Blanka was launched out of the clutch and hurled across the dance floor. WHAM! Blanka was flattened on the other side. He was out. Hakan laughed at the fallen man.

"Boys and girls, we have a winner!" the DJ announced. "From Turkey, Hakan!" Prasie shouted for the victor.

"That's right!" Hakan roared proudly. "Anyone can compete in Turkish Oil Wrestling!" He cackled quite a bit.

("I think I just about lost my appetite,") Pikachu groaned. After Hakan's performance...and the usage of oil, Ash couldn't blame his partner. As the money was being exchanged for that battle, the DJ came back on.

"Alright, everyone, how's the battle cruise so far?" he roared back. The cheers sounded louder than ever. "That's what I'm expecting! In 30 minutes, we'll have our next bout." Everyone looked at the monitor above the floor...and the disco ball and saw one figure. It was Ash. He's battling next. "From a place undisclosed to the world, Ash Ketchum!" Then the other figure appeared...and Ash was shocked. The other was a brunette Asian female with buns in her hair and wearing a blue Chinese half-dress with white boots over dark pantyhose. She also wore spiked bracelets. "And from Shanghai, China, Chun-Li Xiang!" This was the first time Ash was fighting a girl...outside from Pokémon battles. How was he going to deal with this twist in his adventure? And will Team Rocket hinder his journey?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...

(How about that, five new fighter, three fights and Ash fights a girl next. Next battle: Ash vs. Chun-Li. Keep your votes up. And PEJP Bengtzone, Elena's not amongst the characters in IV. Just a reminder.)


	4. Assault with a Deadly Feet

_Chapter 4: Assault with a Deadly Feet

* * *

_

Ash was about to say that he's in over his head on the cruise ship. His next opponent was Chun-Li. It's been 20 minutes since the announcement of the next fight. Everything he ate while watching the fight between Blanka and Hakan had to have digested by now. "Listen up, kid," Hakan spoke as he joined Ash and Pikachu in the locker room. "Chun-Li is a veteran of the Street Fighter circuit. Her kicking barrage is nastier that dried up barrels of olive oil." That had to be what Hakan bathed in for his bout.

"Is that oil common in Turkish Oil Wrestling?" he wondered.

"You better believe it. Of course, that's speaking to the king five years straight. Won me a wife and seven daughters." It's always nice to have family around for support. Ash smiled at the red dad. Hakan wasn't red in anger. That's when echos of "Ash!" were heard. "It sounds like you've got a lot of fans on board." Ash began to tremble a bit.

"I have a bad feeling that Pikachu has something to do with all this." A look back at the ballroom showed Ash's suspicions to be true. Pikachu and Corphish were holding up signs reading "GO ASH GO!" The crowd was chanting the sign.

"Alright, everyone!" the DJ roared. "It's time for the event you've waited for! Let's bring out our fighters!" That's when the stage had gone dark and a spotlight focused on the DJ in the center wearing a red soccer jersey, bell-bottom jeans and a blue visor cap. "Ladies and gentlemen, he comes from a far distant place called Pallet Town, but he brings the hurt like a shotgun. His kickboxing has already earned him a perfect 2-0 so far. So let's bring out the Pallet Pantheon: Ash Ketchum!" A spotlight struck a doorway. Walking in was Ash. The cheers were deafening over the techno music for Ash's entrance. Stepping onto the dance floor, Ash rotated his shoulders to loosen up. Ash was in. Now time for Chun-Li to show up. "And now for his opponent. She's from Shanghai, China with the most destructive legs in the circuit. She's a specialist in Chinese Kempo and is a former World Warriors' Champion. Now's the time to bring out the lady kicking machine: Chun-Li Xiang!" Another spotlight hit another doorway. This time, Chun-Li was there. With the sounds of oriental music, Chun-Li entered the floor and faced her little opponent.

"Wow, I could try and pass you off as my son if I wanted," she teased. Ash scoffed at Chun-Li's joke.

"If you did become my mom, who'd be my dad?" he questioned. Chun-Li wasn't too phased.

"Alright you two," the DJ called out. "Everyone, let's get them to battle. Are you ready?" The crowd was ready for the fight between Ash and Chun-Li.

"3!" the crowd shouted. "2! 1! Fight!" Ash and Chun-Li raced in and began to attack. Ash came in with a looping right hook, blocked by Chun-Li's arm. She fired back with a barrage of right kicks coming at him in lightning fast speed. Ash was getting bombarded with so many kicks at once that he flew across the floor on the final heel smack. Chun-Li held her leg in the air, ready to deliver more pain. Ash, reeling from that kicking barrage, got up, ready for more.

"Kicking machine, huh?" he muttered. "I can see why." Despite knowing how Chun-Li can kick, Ash ran up at her again as each of her hands held balls of light. Uh oh.

"Kikoken!" she shouted as she fired a blue fireball at Ash. It was smaller than Ken's Hadoken but Ash wasn't about to test her fire. He readied an arm glowing white.

"Batter up!" Ash swung his arm and struck the Kikoken and sent that back at her with impressive speed. Chun-Li was a bit surprised to find that coming back at her. She blocked the attack barely. Ash continued and began his speed bag attack but Chun-Li leaped clear before the first swing, landing on a pillar then jumping off of it. She got some serious air. Ash had to know that Chun-Li was raining down a strike. All Ash could do, wisely, was step clear of a descending heel drop. What did he do? He rolled under Chun-Li just before she landed. On his feet, Ash swung a backward kick. Chun-Li caught it but was she ready for the second act? That was Ash's spinning high kick. BAM! Flush on the face. Despite standing, Chun-Li was reeling from that strike. This was Ash's moment. He charged in but Chun-Li recovered. Both launched right kicks, colliding in the middle. Ash and Chun-Li smirked at each other, excited with the fight going on. That excitement would be dashed in a flash. A plume of toxic smoke enveloped the dance floor. Chun-Li huddled Ash to the floor to avoid breathing in the smoke.

"Is there a fire?" Before Ash could answer, Pikachu let out a scream. Ash knew that something happened to Pikachu and broke free from Chun-Li.

"Pikachu!" Ash and Chun-Li escaped the smoke as the fans from the ceiling began to vacuum the smoke away. Ash and Chun-Li reached the deck and spotted what Ash dreaded wouldn't occur during his Street Fighter tour: Team Rocket. "Not you guys!" Yep...those guys.

"Prepare for trouble, swimming out on a cruise," Jessie started.

"Make it double, the league will find out about your many a bruise," James incoherently continued.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people's within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket-"

"Shut the hell up!" Chun-Li stopped the motto, infuriating the Rockets. "Interfering in an official Street Fighter match launching a smoke attack? Didn't you bother to read the signs that say 'NO SMOKING?'" Like that's a good reason to stop the motto. "And on top of that, to steal my opponent's mouse on top?"

"Like it matters to you!" Jessie hissed. "Who do think you are, a cop?" As if to prove Jessie's point, Chun-Li pulled out a 9mm handgun and aimed it at the trio. Where did she keep that piece?

"I am. International Officer Chun-Li Xiang at your service. Now surrender Pikachu or be loaded with lead." The Rockets were stuttering in fear from seeing the firearm. Now would be a great time to listen to authorities. Jessie wasn't thrilled with the piece Chun-Li pulled out.

"You think that by having a gun, you'd have the authority to boss us around? Surely, you've gotta be kidding." Think Chun-Li's taking that?

"Surely, you've gotta be awesomely stupid to defy deputies." That got under Jessie's collar.

"Well, then. I might need to change your attitude. Seviper, Poison Tail!" Jessie brought out her vomit-colored zigzag snake who swung his purple tail. That's when Ash remembered the other partner on his side.

"Corphish, Crab Hammer!" he commanded. Corphish jumped onto the deck with a glowing pincer and swung. KABOOM! Corphish decked Seviper right back at James and the cat. Jessie was a bit turned when Chun-Li jumped right in with a hand spring flip and twist.

"Spinning Bird Kick!" Chun-Li roared before Jessie had a chance to turn back around. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Chun-Li used Jessie's flimsy body as a straw dummy as she kicked Jessie around. Jessie was propelled onto the cage Pikachu was in and jarred the door, freeing the Pokémon. Pikachu ran back to Ash and Chun-Li. Jessie was livid.

"Is that how you treat a human?" she snarled.

"Actually, yes." That made Jessie gawk, unsure if she was joking or being serious.

"Allow me, officer. Pikachu, Thunderbolt! And Corphish, Bubble Beam!" Pikachu let out a ferocious stream of electricity and Corphish a swarm of bubbles. The electric strike combined with the bubbles and then met Team Rocket who suffered serious shots with an explosion. The Rockets were flying over the Atlantic.

"First, Akuma," the cat remembered. "Now, the Chinese cop and the twerp? How bad is our luck?"

"Well, knowing that we've seen the twerp and how he's able to defend himself," James studied. "He could pose a serious threat to the organization." A real big threat because he's got two occupations? Trainer and Street Fighter?

"I'm more surprised that the Asian was a cop and something that breeder twerp would swarm onto if he was here!" Jessie groaned. Despite the information, it wasn't helping the fact that they were sailing towards Canada. Not that it would matter.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they yelled in unison. Bye! Settling down on the deck, Ash wondered what could have happened if not for Team Rocket's interference. He and Pikachu contemplated under the clear starry skies.

"Sorry about the match," Chun-Li apologized as she brought tea to the trainer and Pokémon. "I didn't intend that to go down."

"It's no big deal," Ash chuckled. "Team Rocket's always interrupting something or another." Ash took a sip of the tea.

("What about your battle, Chun-Li?") Pikachu wondered. Chun-Li glanced back at the room of their bout.

"Well, little buddy," she murmured. "They called and said that the result will be labeled as 'No Contest.' In a sense, Ash is still undefeated." So Ash's record was still unblemished. He would be happy but felt that he was spared, no thanks to Team Rocket.

"I see," Ash mulled. It didn't take long for Chun-Li to come up with a solution.

"Tell you what. To make up for the called-off match, I can teach you a few traits of Tai Chi. It was my first style before trying out Kempo." A little Tai Chi couldn't hurt Ash. He was getting something besides a free buffet for he and his Pokémon.

"Let's get to work." They started to practice on the empty deck for all night.

* * *

_(Outside Historic Distillery, Paris, France, Europe/Two days later...)_

We find Ash and Pikachu strolling through the historic streets of Paris...on his cell. "That could explain why we haven't seen Team Rocket in a while," a young female gawked on the other side. "I should be thanking those from higher up that you and Pikachu are okay."

"I'm thankful that Brock wasn't with me, May," Ash sighed. "He'd be going after Chun-Li as if she was Officer Jenny or Nurse Joy." Then you should be thanking Guile for only taking you and Pikachu.

"Was she really something Brock would fall for?" Ash was about to let May know about Chun-Li's wardrobe.

"Considering what she wears, Brock would charge right into her pretty quick legs and come for more and that's not including that black wear." Chun-Li had another sexy outfit? Whoa... Suddenly, Ash sensed something coming. "Hold on a sec." That's when Ash sprung a backflip. There's a reason: a raven-haired female in a white martial artist outfit, sleeves intact, dove a kick at Ash. Ash managed to dodge the attack. The female slid to a stop as Ash landed the backflip...and still connected to May. The new female turned around and faced Ash.

"Hey you!" she called Ash. There was something Ash had to do.

"I'll call you right back. I've got another challenge." He folded the phone and readied himself for his next battle.

"You're the new face in the Street Fighter circuit! Ash Ketchum, right?" Who was she?

"Y...Yeah..." She was really pumped as she aired a few punches and a roundhouse kick.

"I challenge your kickboxing style to my Rindoukan! My name is Makoto, a master of Rindoukan Karate trying to rebuild a reputation of my late father's dojo." She's dedicated. At least Team Rocket will no longer interfere, right?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...

(So now Ash battles Makoto in the next round, according to the poll on my page. Because the fight with Chun-Li ended as a no contest, he'll be granted an extra chapter in the campaign. Keep the votes up as I do a one-shot for Valentine's Day)


	5. FUI: Fighting Under the Influence

_Chapter 5: FUI: Fighting Under the Influence

* * *

_

Makoto was setting up a straw dummy, her face and limbs slightly covered in bandages. Ash? Never better. They were in an open field with Ash's Pokémon watching. What's going on? "Ready when you are, Ash!" she prepared. Ash glanced back at Pikachu and fluffed a nod, both ready for their act.

"Let it fly!" Ash called. Makoto stood face-to-face with the dummy. Suddenly, she grappled the dummy with a leap and snatch to the shoulders plus a foot to the mid-section. She pulled the dummy down and kicked it right at Ash. He was set. When the dummy was in reach... "Now!" Pikachu began to sprint forward as Ash clobbered the dummy with a kicking backflip. The dummy was sailing as Pikachu squirted underneath Ash who grabbed him mid-flip. Still in the same motion, Ash was able to throw Pikachu at the airborne dummy with great strength and accuracy. "Iron Tail!" Pikachu was at the level of the dummy and, with the tail glowing white, smashed the dummy with that white tail strike. The dummy was hurled right back at Ash. That's when Ash swung a spinning roundhouse kick and nailed the dummy square in the forehead. The head sheered off and landed near Makoto's feet while the rest of the dummy flipped and landed on its back...or was it front? The Pokémon were frightened with the display as Ash caught Pikachu on his descent. Makoto was awed with the display.

"So that's Call for Pokémon, huh? Knock your opponent to the air and summon Pikachu or any of your other Pokémon for an attack of their own." A unique use of his own and Pokémon skills. "Of course, the opponent's neck's a lot sturdier than a dummy's." A good note. Then...

"Interesting to use creatures as a battle tool," a male scoffed. Everyone turned to the sounds and spotted a slender brunette in a black Chinese robe. Makoto was shocked to know who this new guy was.

"It- It's you! You're that martial artist movie star, Fei Long!" A movie star? He did have the young face for Hollywood. Fei Long scoffed again, amused with the fame he's getting.

"Another fan. Unbelievable." Hey, when you're a celebrity, sometimes you gotta take the breaks. "By the way, what happened to you, miss?" Makoto froze a bit when asked the question. Once recovered, she giggled and thumbed a point to Ash.

"He...kicked my butt." What? We missed the fight between Ash and Makoto? Dang! Fei Long studied the bandaged face of Makoto and the look of calm on Ash with hardly a scratch.

"Though, I do have a welt on my leg and waist," he admitted. "She hits hard!" Butch up, Ash.

"Anyway, Fei Long, what brings you here? A battle?" Fei Long's a Street Fighter too? "Cause I want to fight you in honor of Rindoukan Karate's reputation." She lost but she wants another fight?

"When you recover, sure," he accepted. "Any who, I was watching a battle between Rufus and Guy when I saw that dummy fly then that mouse. I had no idea that mice could be yellow, let alone that big." No doubt Fei Long was talking about Pikachu. That's when he saw the rest of Ash's Pokémon. "Then again, who are these creatures?" Ash and Makoto glanced over to the Pokémon, ready for the explanation.

"These are Ash's Pokémon. You have the giant bird, Swellow, the red tortoise, Torkoal, the lizard, Grovyle, the crab, Corphish...and the mouse you saw, Pikachu." The Pokémon greeted Fei Long with their calls. One more scoff from Fei Long...

"...And I began to believe there's nothing that can surprise me." Well, surprise. That's when two other figures came by. One was a lean brunette in an orange kung fu suit while the other was...pretty fat. Seriously, this braided ponytail blond guy was as large as a wrecking ball. He wore a yellow jumpsuit with his gargantuan gut hanging out.

"Hey, star boy!" the fat one bloated. "What's keeping your famous ass from coming back?" Ash became rather mortified at the gut of the round man.

"It seems that there was more than one fight occurring," the brunette murmured. "And judging by the bruises, I'd say the lady fell." The scorned man was wise.

"I did lose to him," Makoto admitted as she pointed to Ash again. That's when Mr. Gargantuan observed his look on Ash's morbid face.

"Kid, what's with that look?" he questioned. Knowing that he was being addressed, Ash broke from his stare and itched his exposed hair. Nervousness.

"Rufus, don't be so harsh on the young warrior," Fei Long warned. If Fatty was Rufus, then slender was Guy. "So, how did you two meet?" Fei Long, look at the end of the previous chapter.

"She interrupted my call to friends and issued a challenge," Ash began.

* * *

(_Moments ago...)_

_Ash and Makoto stepped into a warehouse filled with shelves of barrels. The ominous stench of fermenting fruits polluted the stagnant air, almost to the point of inhaled intoxication. The two fighters were inside, ready to fight. Pikachu wandered off, not minding the battle and focused more on that alluring scent. For Ash, it was another battle against a prominent warrior. Makoto was ready to deal damage onto the newcomer. She had eyes of a lion ready to pounce on its prey. Kickboxing vs. Karate...which will show dominance? 'She's keeping her body tight,' he minded. 'All she needs is an opening mistake by me to really give me trouble.' Both waited for the other to make the first move. 'I remember facing off against Scizor and how Brock warned me that the first move could result as the last mistake. I can't afford a misstep.' The standoff was intense. Unaware for the moment, a barrel on a shoddy shelf became loose. Pikachu was becoming influenced by the aroma that it bumped to the shelf without properly looking. Feeling that bump, Pikachu looked up and saw that barrel rolling off. It cleared with enough time to avoid being a splinter on the floor as the barrel crashed and spilled red wine. That got Ash to suddenly twist to the sound. It was Makoto's opening. She raced in and began to fight the trainer with a barrage of chops and palm thrusts. She turned back in time to see the onslaught approaching. His head and hip speed struggled to keep pace with Makoto's fast hands but he was managing every bob and weave. Makoto tried a high kick but Ash bent forward and rushed her, firing left and right hooks. Makoto blocked each swing with open palms. This wasn't working for Ash and Makoto was getting ready to take advantage. Another open palm? Nope, but here came an elbow swipe. Ash bent backwards, watching the attack sail over his head. That's when Makoto got cheap. Following her elbow, her spin produced a roundhouse heel. BANG! The heel tagged Ash in the waist hard and knocked him to the ground. Ash covered the strike with his arm. That had to hurt and he was reeling. Here came Makoto. Ash had to think fast. Just as Makoto resumed her approach and attack, Ash was on his hands and feet...in a crab position, belly up. That's when the fight turned to break dancing. Ash jumped and began spinning and kicking. They don't teach you that in kickboxing._

"_What the-" Makoto hiccuped. Ash scuttled forward and continued his barrage of kicks. Makoto leaped back and allowed room for Ash to get back on his feet. "Kickboxers don't normally spin like that, do they?" If they did, it may look silly but it's effective._

"_I battled a Hitmontop who can spin on its head." A Hitmontop? "Anyway..." Now it was Ash on the attack...or so it seemed. Makoto swung her foot. Leg kick. Ash was hit in the inner thigh and nearly buckled. He recovered with a leg sweep in which tripped the Karate girl. As they got back on their feet, the wave of wine splashed in their direction. However, neither combatant minded the new coating or the smell. Ash rushed ahead and started a flurry of strikes, but Makoto caught a punch and swept him of his feet and grasped him at the same time. This was trouble...but somehow, Ash would escape. He managed to get his legs back below him and fell on the same hands and feet. It also propelled Makoto to dive into the very shallow puddle of wine. Remember that shoddy shelf? The shift of the fallen barrel knocked loose all of the barrels and drenched the contents all over the floor. Ash was back on his feet before Makoto and reset himself. Makoto got up and wiped either blood or wine or a mix of the two from her face. As she found Ash, something weird occurred. Her vision blurred. She tried to shake it off but no use. Her eyes were getting droopy and she was staggering. Did she suffer an injury or was it the wine? She came back at Ash but when she fired fists, they were hooking far left and right, nowhere close to Ash. This worried Ash. "Are you okay?" Makoto heard him but..._

"_Just fight me," she slurred. But she retreated a bit before leaping onto the wall. Uh oh. She leaped off the wall and at Ash like a laser with a foot in front of her. She appeared to be on target. Ash had to act and there was one way he chose. He swung a roundhouse high kick and nailed Makoto's front foot. The hit turned Makoto around in a twist and defenseless to the sealing strike when Ash twirled around as well and launched that flaming fist. KABLAM! Direct hit on the face! Makoto fell in a heap into the wine-soaked floor. Ash remained standing but Makoto was gone. The fight was over. Ash ran over to check on Makoto, concerned that she was in bad shape._

"_Makoto?" Makoto had bruises on her face. She did start coming around. It was a good sign. Maybe _too_ good of a sign as she reached for Ash's head. However, she pulled her head onto his shoulder._

"_You're...the better one..." It was pretty slurred. Ash helped Makoto on her feet and helped her out of the warehouse. A little while later, Makoto and Pikachu were on the bench in the same park where this chapter started. Where did Ash go? He retrieved tea for the three of them._

"_There you go." Makoto, banged up, nicely snatched a cup and sipped it._

"_Thanks, Ash." Ash accepted the praise. "I really got it good, didn't I?" A light way to put it but yeah. "I'll tell you, that was weird for me to stagger like that. First time I tasted alcohol." Her reaction to alcohol was foretelling that she wouldn't be able to hold her liquor._

"_Might be the only time you can taste alcohol. By the way, how did you find out about me?" Makoto started to ponder back on how she found Ash, showing that she was suffering no aftereffects of the battle or the wine._

"_I borrowed my brother's computer after wind of the new tournament was announced. When I saw your name, I almost died laughing. That was until I received word while down in Brazil after my win against Gen, there was more wind that came from India about a battle between you and Dan in which you were flawless. You're the first fighter to ever score a perfect victory in their Street Fighter debut. I was so anxious to fight you and see if you were for real. Apparently, you are." Aw, that was nice to say._

"_Tell that to Ken and Chun-Li, too." Makoto huffed a chuckle as she turned to Pikachu._

"_By the way, you had two specials listed, one named Focus Flurry and the other, Call for Pokémon. I wonder what Call for Pokémon is."

* * *

_

"Of course, that led to the demonstration of my special," Ash finished. Guy, Fei Long and Rufus were rather amused.

"Ash is a fighter never to be underestimating," Guy theorized.

"I concur," Fei Long agreed. "And with the fact that he's seen and been in many fights, he's more of an expert of being in combat than we've been within our history." Makoto would say the same thing.

"Come on!" Rufus growled. "You guys are being too soft on him! He needs to fight me! One day, I'll get my hands on Masters for the US belt!" Was he aware that Ken was defeated by Ash?

"Come on, Rufus," he chuckled. "Let him have some time with his new son before you fight him." Instead of telling Rufus about the fight with Ken, he resorted to the family matters.

"Eliza gave birth already?" Fei Long hiccuped. Ash nodded. All turned to Rufus who seemed to have a change of mood.

"Well, I guess seeing his family before challenging for the belt would be a wise idea," he reconsidered. All nodded to the concept of holding back. Now Ash had to look forward to his next opponent.

* * *

_(Four days later/Snowy Train Station, Russia, Europe)_

Wearing a coat, Ash and Pikachu rolled into the grounds of an abandoned train station. Inside, Ash was sampling some of the meals the Russians dined on. The the three-and-zero record with the one no contest was a tall tale warning not to mess with him. "Where's Guile?" he wondered. Was there suppose to be a rendezvous with the military man? "I hope he's doing alright on his end as well as his search for Charlie."

("I'm sure he's got business with his subordinates,") Pikachu squeaked after a sip of milk. Ash could argue but he wasn't familiar two military protocol. That's when he felt something. A feeling of power struck Ash's nerves and made him quiver in fear and excitement. The people inside felt the same power, a strong aura of evil overwhelming the room. That's when a black portal emerged from thin air. This couldn't be good news. Pikachu leaped onto the table, ready to face who or what would enter the scene and protect Ash. Suddenly, a grown man in red came out of the room. His visor was as red as the rest of a royal uniform he wore. There was also a black cape and he was floating. Someone knew how to float? What, did he watch a lot of Dragon Ball Z and thought he could fly like Goku and his friends?

"So, you are the fighter making the rounds, huh?" he evilly sneered. "A worthy member of Shadaloo." Shadaloo? Was he Bison? Ash heard about Shadaloo from Ryu and Guile. He was in trouble but mustered a grit. He wanted to show that he wasn't going to join his evil organization.

"I'd rather join Team Magma than team up with a murderous organization," he spat. Those weren't words this cauldron of evil wanted to hear.

"Perhaps you should watch your mouth before you lisp lies. No one can match the power of my Psycho Drive." Was that what Ash felt? This Psycho Drive was serious business but Ash wasn't ready to back off from a challenge and this was certainly a challenge.

"Then let me be the first." It was on. Ash and the evil package. Who will come out on top?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...  
(From the poll, Ash is taking on Bison. Perhaps his Call to Pokémon can help. Keep up the votes as right now, there's a tie for the next opponent after Bison.)


	6. Psycho Doube Duel

_Chapter 6: Psycho Double Duel_

* * *

Ash was face-to-face with a man of Shadaloo. The white of his eyes disguised the evil intentions he had for the young trainer/fighter. Coming off his victory in France against Makoto, not to forget that he's on a three fight winning streak with the addition of a no-contest against Chun-Li, word of the Pallet Pantheon was spreading like wildfire and with the power of the World Wide Web, those running the tournament had to be shaking in their boots at how fast Ash had managed to receive fame. Right now, that fame was becoming his worst nightmare with the appearance of his next battle. Intimidated by the power he was emitting, Ash was unnerved. 'That's some terrifying energy he's exhausting,' he thought. Pikachu could be thinking the same thing. Finally...

"Bison!" shouted Guile as he entered the room. The three turned to see the American and his seething anger at the man in red who grinned at the avenging fighter.

"Well, well, if it isn't Charlie's AWOL partner," he mocked. "Do you miss your best friend, Colonel?" That's fuel into Guile's fire. The mocking was so under his skin, Bison had no shame in pushing his buttons. "You'll have to forgive me. I'm taking this boy to fight me and test his strength." To Guile, this was unacceptable.

"He's just a child! You have no authority!" Bison would disagree.

"Wrong...he's a valiant warrior. I'll bring you his body when we're finished." That's when he thrust his arm at Ash to grab his collar but ended up getting his arms. No matter for Bison. Guile ran up but was too late. Bison opened a portal and sucked in himself and Ash, leaving Guile and Pikachu in great concern. Ash was in deep and against someone as powerful as Bison, they feared Ash had no chance to battle him.

"He's...he's gonna die..." All Pikachu could do was pray for Ash to be alive.

* * *

_(Solar Eclipse, Zimbabwe, Africa)_

Two females were ready to battle in an open field full of exotic animals like hippos, giraffes, zebras and a pond by the side. One was a young teen brunette wearing a loose white t-shirt and blue skirt. She also wore the same gloves as Ken, Ryu, Akuma and Dan and even wore a headband like Ryu. The other was a raven-haired with a sinister smirk. Her hair was like overweight wings with neon purple hoops on. She wore a skinny and tight purple midriff with white baggy pants. Unlike the brunette who wore red tennis shoes, she was barefoot and held a leg in the air and staying perfectly still. She had to have powerful legs. It was about to be interrupted. Before either made the first move, a portal opened up, forcing the two to gawk at what could be occurring. That's when Ash was thrown out where he landed on his feet by the brunette. Bison soon emerged and floated down by the raven-haired. "This isn't good," she huffed. Bison wasn't worried about the brunette. Why, it wasn't worried about Ash or Pikachu or Guile for that matter.

"Relax, child," he told the brunette. "The boy is my opponent." The raven-haired snickered, making all turn to her.

"This is very humorous," she sneered. "I'm surprised that you would put your hands on a rather stoic kid." Bison twisted to see the raven-haired, intrigued by who it was.

"If it isn't 15's test subject with the eye." A test subject?

"Oh, come on, you're just flattering me. But can't you wait it out for a second? Sakura and I need to settle something." Sakura? This was who Dan told Ash to inform besides Blanka.

"Maybe we should let these two work their differences first, Juri," Sakura offered. Juri wasn't satisfied with just hanging back and letting the boys duke it out.

"Oh, no, sweet cakes. Eye still have you in my sight." She tried to make a joke by pointing at her eye. If so, it wasn't funny. It was a double duel: Ash versus Bison and Sakura versus Juri. Bison was swaying to warm himself up while Ash and Sakura paced their breathing and Juri sneered more and more as she had her leg pretty high up. It was time to start. Bison soared through the air, aiming right at Ash. Ash rolled away as Bison landed where he just stood. Now was that counterattack as Ash spun with a roundhouse right hook...but Bison vanished just before contact...and reappeared behind the trainer and tried to slap him hard. His hand was burning an eerie purple. Ash ducked but the burning slap hit his cap, sending it flying. A giraffe snagged the headgear with its horns. Did Bison play horseshoes before being this dictator he claimed to be? It still left an opening for Ash and he scored an uppercut to the gut. Not letting up, Ash spun his body around and smashed Bison's ribs with a mule kick. That couldn't feel too good. Maybe Guile was wrong. Once Ash reset, he watched Bison getting back on his feet.

'His moves are pretty sloppy,' he believed. 'All he's using is that energy inside and not using his hands properly. I could use that to gain some sort of advantage.' Back up, Bison was impressed with Ash's quickness.

"Well, young worm," he grinned. "You've a feet of agility and keen eye unlike 15's doll. Perhaps you've trained for moments like these." To Ash, Bison believed that his training with Pokémon had inadvertently developed into his fighting prowess.

"Not quite but it's along those lines." Juri seemed to be a younger Chun-Li the way she kept swinging her legs out. The way she kicked at Sakura had enough air pressure to fire out ripples of air which were glowing purple. Sakura bobbed and weaved through each ripple.

"My, you're feisty!" she playfully teased Sakura. Sakura huffed a groan, finding Juri's spoken tongue distasteful. Juri leaped to the sky but Sakura began to gather some sort of energy. It looked a lot like Ken doing the Hadoken but Sakura continued to build energy. Juri started her dive with a leg out.

"Hadoken!" she screamed as she threw her big fireball. The fireball struck Juri, knocking her out of the air.

"Whatever..." Juri quickly rose back up, her left eye glowing eerie violet. Bison's sloppiness was really catching up to him as Ash countered each swing. If Guile was there, he would be amazed at Ash's progress.

"Very well!" he snarled. "You've asked for it! Psycho Crusher!" He dove right at Ash while cocooning himself in the energy. He acted like a baseball in a line drive with an arm sticking out. Ash had little time to act. That's when he crouched and reached for a Pokéball. A setup!

"Head's up!" he roared as he did his back flip. Perfect shot as it caught Bison through his cocoon and under his chin. The kick propelled Bison high but the strike jostled the ball loose. The ball opened up and revealed Corphish. Ash had gone through a full rotation. "Corphish, use Crab Hammer on me!" Was he serious? Having Crab Hammer hit him instead of Bison? Corphish was game and scored a bulls-eye on Ash's feet. The strike launched Ash sky high and met Bison, his arms once again in flames. Bison gazed at the ready-to-strike trainer.

"How dare you!" Ash just grinned as he wound his burning fist which changed to white.

"Hey, you challenged me, remember?" Finally, Ash threw the punch, nailing Bison in the chest. That's when something odd played out: Ash's strike shot a beam which propelled Bison down to the ground. KABOOM! The impact of the beam-propelled Bison left quite an impression...literally. He was twitching periodically. Ash landed with his two feet and peered at his opponent who was burnt amongst his ribs and had a blackened mark from where he got walloped. Surprised, Ash glared at the mark and at his fist which the fire was dying. "Was that Overheat?" Overheat?

("That's Overheat, alright,") Corphish gargled. ("Never saw it like that before.") Ash was willing to check on Bison but the cat fight seemed more appealing. Sakura was taking a beating and Juri was about to finish it.

"Let's end this," Juri playfully decided with her eye, then her body emitting that eerie purple again. She raced at Sakura who seemed to be left with little to do. That's when she saw the speeding feet.

"Haru Ranman!" she cried out as she performed a roundhouse leg sweep, catching Juri's stepping foot. Juri realized she was in trouble. "This oughta fix you!" Sakura rose and fired a kick which looked like a football punt, catching Juri in the chin. She was sent skyward and pursued by the brunette. She curled backwards as if she turned to a moon but had her fists ready as makeshift sledgehammers. "Attack!" She slammed her fists into Juri's head, causing her to fall. She smacked the turf as Sakura flipped for her descent. CRASH! Sakura double-stomped Juri in the stomach. The air in the raven-haired girl's lungs were deflated and she was out like a light bulb busted by a rock. "...And that's a wrap." That was a wrap. Bison and Juri were both down for the count. Ash strolled over to check on Juri, making sure she'd be okay. Suddenly...

"Ash!" shouted a bunch of men. The standing three...yes, we're not forgetting Corphish...turned to face several vehicles heading toward the survivors. One African got on the radio.

"Lt. Mutabe to Guile!" he called. He didn't wait long for Guile to respond.

"Report!" was the reply.

"We've located the target!" It was news that Guile was dreading. He only hoped that Ash was at least alive as he sailed over to rendezvous with his team in his jet.

"Condition?" The lieutenant gazed over the dashboard and saw Ash waiving with a gleeful smile.

"From my view, I'd say excellent!" Hearing that made Guile smile. He was in disbelief that Ash was able to defend himself against Bison. "Orders?"

"Retrieve him! We'll rendezvous at the airbase! And lieutenant?" The pause was making the lieutenant a bit eager.

"Proceed!"

"Tell him his...partner's with Chun-Li in Japan. The little guy will be happy to know he's alive." The lieutenant hung up and reached the group. Military secured Bison with numerous restraints while a gurney whisked Juri away. During the ride, Ash and Sakura were chatting up a storm while she petted Torkoal.

"I can't believe you were able to meet Ryu-san over in Metro," she gasped. "I'm jealous." Ash wasn't too proud of meeting Ryu in America. It was just dumb luck after his fight with Ken.

"I'm sure he had a chance to meet Ken's new son," he laughed. After a long ride, the escort arrived at an airfield where Guile was waiting. The men disembarked and greeted the colonel.

"Sir!" they saluted in unison. Guile walked passed them and came to Ash's side. He was happy that he was alive but astonished that he was able to beat Bison.

"Great work, kid," he praised. Ash accepted the praise with a salute of his own.

"Thank you, colonel," he replied. As they finished saluting, one soldier entered with information.

"Col. Guile, Bison has awakened," he reported. Guile was waiting for this moment. Finally, he was moments away from the answers about Charlie.

"About damn time," he scorned. "I'll go and have a chat with Bison. I would like one of you to fly Ash to Tokyo and rendezvous with Chun-Li." One rose his hand for the task. Guile tossed the keys to him and he raced to get the engine started. Sakura was a bit upset to see Ash getting ready to leave and reunite with Pikachu.

"Hey, Ash?" she called. Ash turned to his brunette teammate. "Thanks for supporting me. By the way, if you run into Ryu-san again, tell him I said hi." Ash fluffed a nod before heading to the jet and to Tokyo. "Oh, one more thing!" Now what? Ash turned to Sakura once more...only to be met by the lips. Hey, it's not everyday that a Street Fighter offers a little lovin'. Ash was awe-stricken. Come on, man! It's not like this was your first kiss, right? "Ash-sama." Ash was encumbered in awe. If Ash wanted to prove his mettle, Sakura gave him a pass. Meanwhile, Guile was once again face-to-face with Bison.

"Now that you're safely secured, we can get down to business." Bison wasn't in the best of moods. Think about it, he had his butt handed to him by a child. "I only have one important question to ask: Where's Charlie?" Bison restricted moving anything, even his mouth. He wanted to remain quiet. This would take some time.

* * *

_(Ancient Temple/Tokyo, Japan/Four days later...)_

Reunited with Chun-Li, Ken, Eliza, Mel and Pikachu, Ash walked into a temple. "Thanks for keeping an eye on Pikachu while I was fighting Bison," he greeted to Chun-Li. Pikachu was equally thankful for Chun-Li's care.

"Hey, after hearing how you whooped Bison, I should be thanking you," she replied. "I guess Guile got worried over nothing." Well, technically nothing was not the case to Ken's mind.

"Bison's super powerful with his psycho abilities," he informed. "But I'll admit, this is the first time someone fought him and won without breaking a sweat. If I'm not mistaken, that's two perfect victories under your belt." Not according to Ash who began to blush from the compliments...or was it from...

"I broke more of a sweat when Sakura..." he froze his words as his face blossomed redder. Pikachu realized that Ash was kissed.

("Ashy boy's growing up~!") he teased. That embarrassed Ash.

"Pikachu, cut it out!" Too late. Suddenly...

"Is that you, Ken?" sounded an old man. The group turned to see a bald but heavily white bearded muscular man. He wore a pseudo toga brown top and white pants. Was this Ash's next opponent?

"Ah, Master Gouken," Ken greeted with a bow. "It's nice to see you again." Gouken bobbed a nod, acknowledging the good nature of one of his pupils. That's when he saw Mel in Eliza's arms. It intrigued him.

"So this is your child?"

"He is. My son, Mel." Gouken gently stroke the tiny infant, humbled that one of his students was now a father. That's when Ken decided to ask something. "He's one of the reasons we're all visiting the dojo. I want to ask if you can be Mel's godfather, in case something does happen to us." Gouken smiled, honored to be raising the young baby under circumstances.

"I'd be honored to." The adults and Pikachu smiled. Mel was in great hands. That's when...

"You've arrived!" sounded Ryu. The group now twisted to see the other student of the master. "And I've heard about what you did with Bison. You definitely are a force to be reckoned with." Ash eyed Ryu with determination. This had to be Ash's next opponent.

"I did run into Sakura," he spoke. "She wanted to me tell you that she said hi." Ryu scoffed. Something about that kid gave off that snicker.

"Nice to give me that message. At least I know why you came by." Ash nodded.

"Ready to go?" Now Ryu bobbed a nod. Ash and Ryu were ready to face off. Was Ash really ready for the Street Fighter veteran?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...

(Alright, it's Ash vs. Ryu in the next bout! I'll post a new poll to help determine the last fighter for Ash before his rival and final bouts. Don't forget to read and review.)


	7. Making the Legend

_Chapter 7: Making the Legend_

* * *

Standing in the middle of the large room, Ash and Ryu were ready to throw down. Gouken, Chun-Li, Ken, Eliza, Mel and Pikachu watched from the sidelines. Ash was coming off a lopsided victory against Bison who's lame battling skills were exposed. It became Ash's second flawless victory. Sure, scoring a perfect win is impressive in it's own standards but against someone like Bison takes some real talent. Ryu took his stance, keeping one fist near his chin and another aimed at the trainer. 'Ryu looks so...relaxed,' Ash mentally noted. Studying, Eliza began to think that Ryu was more of a match for Ash.

"Ken, dear," she called to her fighting husband. "Ash appears to have no clue on what your friend's able to do to him." Ken, already have battled and lost to Ash, wanted to disagree with his wife.

"Ash takes an unorthodox approach and unique fighting style," he explained. "Ryu has battled many different martial art styles, including kickboxing. However, Ash portrays a style of kickboxing that Dan and Makoto were blind to." Chun-Li would agree, though her match was abandoned, no thanks to Team Rocket. Pikachu realized that Ash was wearing his belt with the Pokéballs.

("Hey, Ash!") it called out. ("I'll watch the Pokémon for you!") Hearing Pikachu, Ash looked to see the balls still waist-side. He formed a "T" with his hands to Ryu, calling for a timeout. Ryu relaxed and allowed Ash to give Pikachu his belt. It would soon be apparent that he picked up another belt on his journey. He placed that belt on his jeans before going to face Ryu once more. It seemed normal until Pikachu began to open the balls, releasing Torkoal, Corphish, Grovyle and Swellow. Guess Pikachu wanted a bigger audience than just the other Street Fighters, a wife and a son. Eliza noticed these creatures and knelt down to meet them.

"Oh, my!" she awed, still holding Mel firmly in her arms. "These are fascinating animals we have here. Are they common in Japan?" She hasn't been in this country for a while. Gouken wanted to straighten this mother out.

"They're not from Japan," he huffed. Eliza gawked and looked at her husband's teacher. "They're from another dimension though how they're here is a mystery that I'd prefer not to trifle with." That you can turn to Guile. Mel reached for Torkoal, wanting to try and play with it. Grovyle and Swellow were paying more attention to the fight just about to start. The warriors engaged with Ash starting off by throwing a bunch of swift jabs, none deterring Ryu. He deflected one punch to the side and performed a palm thrust to Ash's sternum. That showed how serious Ryu was taking this fight. Ash was knocked back some feet. He stood and came back for more. Ryu was willing to please. He went low and swung a sweeping leg kick but Ash hopped over the tripping leg and followed it up with meteor punch which Ryu saw and deflected it as well. The deflection twisted Ash around. Ken saw this as a problem.

"Buddy, be careful!" Ken warned Ryu. "He's much more dangerous turned around." How could someone be better battling with their back turned on his/her opponent? Ryu listened and backed off to allow Ash to reface him. If Ryu learned about the fights with Ken and Chun-Li, he'd avoid the following mistake.

"Hadoken!" he roared as he fired a fireball. For Ash, the doors were open for the return. His fist was a-glow once more. He swung and smashed the Hadoken right back at Ryu. Reacting fast, Ryu fired another Hadoken which collided with the first, canceling each other. Resetting, Ryu felt like complimenting Ash for that deflection. "Well, you're the second to ever rebound my Hadoken." Only second?

"Really?" Ash huffed. "Who's the first?"

"Rose. Her scarf was something else." Sounded like admiration, much like Sakura to Ash after he bullied the bigger man.

"And before I fought Ash, I had a little trouble with Zangief and his Banishing Flat," Chun-Li added. That's an interesting name for a reflecting move. "Unlike Ash's move, Zangief killed my fireball in mid-flight. Of course, he's the prideful type and a bloater as well." Nice to know. Ash charged in and displayed the Double Team tactic he used on Ken, except there were three Ashes. Ryu was left with the task of finding the real Ash. One Ash leaped to the sky, one dashed low and the last watched on. Common sense depicted that the watcher was the real fighter while the others were illusions. Containing composure, Ryu began the same helicopter spin Ken used and connected with the jumping Ash. POW! Ash was knocked from the air and hit the ground hard. The other Ashes disappeared. Either Ryu knew which was the real Ash by sight or he lucked out? The peanut gallery, minus the baby Mel, were amazed of Ryu's outrageous skill. Studying the contest, Gouken was disappointed with Ash's talent.

"He who uses deception to gain is a fool of his own trick," he groaned. The Pokémon and Chun-Li wondered what the teacher meant.

("What do you mean 'a fool of his own trick'?") Pikachu squeaked. Chun-Li had a good guess.

"Ash is using all sorts of unorthodox moves to try and fool Ryu but he's only putting himself at a disadvantage," she observed. All this time, the wind was on Ryu's back while Ash struggled to locate openings. He fought his way back to his shaky legs. He knew he was losing.

'Okay, going by trickery isn't working,' he theorized. 'And going full frontal was just as bad. The only good move I've done was return his Hadoken. But even that was countered. He's a powerful fighter, no doubt. Training everyday, he's an unbeatable force.' Suddenly, a mental storm brewed. 'That's it! The reason I was capable of countering his fireball was out of patience. It's not my strong suit. I mean, most of the time, I'm first to strike. Instead of going all willy-nilly on him, I need to calm down.' Ash closed his eyes and drifted into a deep thought it would appear. Ryu was a bit dumbfounded with Ash's change of momentum but acted like he read Ash's mind.

'Seems like he's relaxing himself,' Ryu predicted. 'Trying to change the pace, aren't we?' Ryu cautiously approached Ash. When Ryu was in range, he lunged for an attack. Ash didn't move an eyelid. Ryu cocked an uppercut and swung "Shor-" SLAP! Huh? Ash blocked Ryu's uppercut but the force propelled him into the air. Good enough... BOOM! Flying knee to the chin. Everyone gasped at how Ash turned the tables so suddenly with one counterattack. Ash landed and Ryu flopped. Still okay, Ryu sprung back up but Ash was racing. Ryu was guarding but...Ash stopped. What's up? Ryu was bewildered with this new momentum switch but he he fired a kick. Nope. Ash ducked and swept Ryu with a kick of his own. Ash's momentum was solely on his back and the peanut gallery were amazed with it's switch.

"Hold on!" Chun-Li gasped. "Wasn't Ryu in control of the battle just a minute ago?" He was but with a brief change of strategy helped Ash get back in his swing.

"Slow and steady wins the race," Gouken quoted a child's story of the _Tortoise and the Hare._ Why bring up that story when it's far from related to this fight?

"Not to judge your wisdom, Sensei, but how does a kid's story fit with Ash's sudden dominance?" Ken questioned. Gouken eyeballed Ken like he had no clue on his meaning.

"You mean to say that you don't see the result of Ash's moment of thought?" All Ken did was blink. Gouken looked back out as Ryu, wobbly legs steadily grounding, tried to face Ash once more. "In the beginning, Ash was trying to outpace Ryu in an attempt to gain an advantage but fell behind early. In the midst of his struggle, he realized that speed wasn't the key. That's why he morphed from the hare to the tortoise." In short, he slowed down. However, he was also getting cocky. Ryu prepared another Hadoken. Ash was ready to smash it right back. But Ryu held onto his Hadoken, further expanding. This was off.

'Why is he holding onto his Hadoken?' he wondered. That's when Ryu's Hadoken was three times the original size. Was Ash ready for a mega Hadoken?

"Here's a little extra for you," Ryu sneered. "Metsu Hadoken!" Ryu fired the blue flaming ball and Ash cocked his arm and swung. He hit the Hadoken but...KABOOM! Instead of the Hadoken heading back to it's sender, the Hadoken blew up and sent Ash through the wooden railing and smacking into the wall behind it. For a while, Ash looked stuck onto the wall. His face was absolute shock. After a while, he peeled off and fell flat on the ground. He was motionless. Was that the match? Gouken believed Ryu was victorious and proceeded to enter the battlefield. Before he stepped on...Ash was slowly rising. He was in pain but he was still conscious.

"For a second there, I thought it was over," Eliza believed. "How is Ash still fighting?" It's a really good question. Pikachu feared the impact had taken all the wind from Ash. But he stood and got his head to gaze his opponent. His bones were bruised, his muscles ached but when his fists clench, he was ready for more. No one, not even Ash's Pokémon could believe Ash's grit despite the ravaging pain beating his young body. Finally, imitating Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, he waived Ryu over. Fight restarted, Ryu leaped into the air and began to spin like a helicopter with his legs out. Ryu closed in. SLAP! Blocked! Ryu was in midair. Ash grinned. Focus Fury time! Ash fired his barrage of punches and kicks that Ryu was having a hard time to counter. Finally, the blazing uppercut. BAM! Ryu was sent flying and broke through another railing. He hit the floor with a disfiguring thud. Ken, Mel and Eliza raced to Ryu's side as Ash collapsed onto his hands and knees in exhaustion. The Pokémon and Chun-Li had gone to check up on the trainer.

"Buddy!" Ken pleaded to Ryu. "Come on, buddy!" Ryu began to regain his senses. First, his eyes saw his two friends and then his mouth.

"Wh- Who...got that license...of that delivery truck?" he groaned incoherently. Dude, it wasn't a truck but it did deliver the hurt.

"Are you alright?" Chun-Li wondered about Ash. He was groaning in severe pain but at least he was conscious.

"I'll let you know when the ringing stops," he moaned. He was still reeling from that concussive blast. At least he won. Well, Ken and Chun-Li helped the fighters to their feet. Ken slung Ryu's arm on his shoulder as Chun-Li somewhat hugged Ash to his feet. Meeting in the middle, Ryu and Ash were face-to-face once more...with smiles. By now, Ryu realized he lost.

"I guess I need more training," he admitted. "You've shown more determination than I did and better self realization." Ash smiled, believing his defeated opponent...and new friend.

"Thanks. That Metsu Hadoken really threw me for a loop. You're better than I wanna take for credit." Both shook hands. Gouken was proud that their match ended without further conflict and resounding friendship.

"Ash, you're a tough and smart fighter," he complimented. "Not many people can still stand after receiving a Metsu Hadoken." Another smile, Ash was enjoying the positives from everyone. An hour later, the temple doors opened and everyone was stepping out for fresh air.

"So a fat man named Rufus wants to fight me for the US belt, huh?" Ken wondered. Of course, Ash ran into Rufus in France after his battle with Makoto. "I suppose I could get back to training if Tub o' Lard is challenging me." It was news Ken wasn't really wanting. Neither was a visit. Ash spotted Akuma coming.

"Guys, we have company," he pointed out. Seeing Akuma ascending rose red flags. Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li and Gouken stood forth.

"Akuma," Ryu called out. Akuma gazed at the wall protecting mother, child and Pokémon.

"You've disappointed me, boy," he scowled. Ryu, already exhausted, growled. "Losing to a mere child? What shame you've brought to Ansatsuken!" Oh, Ryu brought shame? Ash was about to alter Akuma's blame game.

"Really?" Ash sneered. "If you're gonna shame someone, try Bison. He lost pathetically to me. At least Ryu put up a fight." Point taken. Akuma rose an eyebrow. To him, Ash had to say Bison was a chump and Ryu was a war.

"You don't even look that strong! How is it that you've fought and won?" He'd be surprised if he had feelings.

"Gouki, it's time to relent and return to the brother I knew!" Gouken demanded...Gouki?

"The Gouki you knew is dead! I am Akuma-" A cloud of toxic smoke covered the area, forcing all to cover up and Eliza to cover Mel. Ash recognized the toxic smoke.

"Haze!" he named. Then, familiar laughter. "You've gotta be kidding!" No joke. A black hot air balloon entered the scene...with Team Rocket inside.

"Prepare for trouble, we've come for Pikachu!" Jessie spoke first.

"Make it double, we're smarter than all of you!" James continued. The motto was about to be shortened.

"It's quiz time!" Meowth meowed as he used a mechanical hand to snatch Pikachu. However, Gouken blocked and destroyed it before it reached the mouse. That caught the thieves off-guard. They weren't expecting the old hoagie to be an issue. "Uh oh..." James was rather impressed with Gouken's build. Jessie? A bit enraged.

"Hey, that arm cost us a pretty penny!" she roared. Ash just rose an eyebrow. He knew something that Team Rocket was too tunneled to noticed.

"Jessie, this is Japan where the penny and dollar are yen," he mouthed off. Not only did Jessie not appreciate the lesson...

"Who asked you?" She didn't appreciate the lesson from someone younger than her. Ken rose an eyebrow to the stunning idiocy of her. Good thing he's already married to someone wiser.

"Is she always this stupid?" he questioned.

"Is Miami a great spot for a vacation?" Well, one good spot.

"Eliza and I had our honeymoon in nearby Key West." Oh, nice.

"Hey!" Jessie roared. "We're in charge here!" Sweat drops of embarrassment formed on the two.

"Oh, yeah. Stupid~!"

"I heard that!" Before Team Rocket could make another move, Akuma dispelled the Haze, making his appearance. That scared the goons back to reality.

"You're annoying!" Akuma growled. He fired purple Hadoken fireballs out. Jessie was ready with Pokéballs.

"Wobbuffet, Counter!" The Pokéball opened and unveiled a blue punching bag with a squinted face and had a black tail. When the punching bag spotted the fireballs, it emitted a veil of red and when the Hadoken fireballs struck it, they rebounded and headed back at Akuma who was taken by surprise. He leaped clear as his fireballs struck the ground and kicked up dust. The dust caught the rest who braced...but some got into Mel's little eyes. That little irritation upset the baby, causing him to cry. Eliza's attention was now on her son. Ash and Akuma turned to the crying infant. Jessie was never in the mood for Ash so her chances of understanding a baby like Mel was less likely. "Hey, shut up!" The angered shout further upset the little boy. Jessie leaped onto the concrete and ran at Eliza and Mel and wound a fist. "I said SHUT UP!" Knowing that a little kid was in trouble, Ash ran to protect the mother and child and bounced off the wall behind them. WHAM! A vicious double-leg kick to the chest. For the moment, Ash and Jessie were frozen in time. Ash's eyes were shimmering a sky blue...and he was mad as heck.

"If you have no respected to a little kid, you never will deserve to have a child at all!" he roared. With that, Jessie showed no recollection of her action. That was about to change. What looked like a push-off or follow-through had a jet propelled engine on it. Jessie was zipped down the huge flight of stairs and into a wall...several hundred feet away...in less than a second...and with a massive impact, much greater than when he was hit with the Metsu Hadoken. This time, Jessie was stuck on the wall and out for the count. Everyone was in awe-shock. Was that really from Ash? No one wanted to know what fueled that explosive power. They, even Akuma, wondered who that was that kicked Jessie away so fast. Akuma turned to the young man who's eyes haven't returned from the glow.

"This boy..." Akuma glared. "Was he struck with the power of Ansatsuken?" Ash turned to see Mel who was extremely frightened.

"Are you okay, Mel?" he asked as he petted the soft head. Mel began to calm down. "That's good." Ash's eyes were back to normal brown. "You okay, too?" Eliza figured Ash was himself again and easily nodded.

"Sensei, was that a side effect of the Metsu Hadoken?" Ryu asked. Gouken watched, unsure if it was from the battle before.

"Maybe," he pondered. "Of course, that's the first time someone fought through the impact of your ultimate attack so it's possible for a side effect to be an issue. Then again, he did battle Bison. Some of his Psycho Power could be leaked into his body." The crew watched on, seeing the calm aftermath as James and Meowth collected Jessie and escaped. Would that be the last time Team Rocket met with a Street Fighter? Akuma saw enough and left without another word. So would Ash...somewhat.

* * *

_(Inland Jungle, Brazil/One Week Later)_

Ash and Pikachu were hanging around rainforest trees, feasting on ripe fruit. Pikachu was staying rather distant from Ash after the incident involving Team Rocket. Ash couldn't blame his friend for hanging back. "Pikachu, I know that you're worried but I'm fine," he reassured his partner. So far, the only time Ash and Pikachu were close since the incident was the plane ride to Brazil. That's when he had a theory: Ash was battling all those Street Fighters and never was that violent. Perhaps he needed another fighter. "Well, maybe my next opponent can tell you it's me." That was a cue.

"You've got it!" sounded a female. It wasn't someone Ash was familiar with, certainly not Cammy or Sakura. "But I'm not sure I wanna battle you. You're a cool boy and I don't wanna ruin it." This one's worried about Ash's coolness? Ash leaped down and landed on the dirt where the new fighter would emerge.

"I'm cool?"

"Yeah, especially how you fought Ken and Dan and even Makoto!" Hearing the voice, Ash turned to a wooded bridge over a river. On the bridge was a female in yellow with really long raven hair extending out of her headgear. She also wore a black cloth to conceal her mouth. Ash had a gut feeling on what she was.

"Ninja, huh? Encountered a few of those back home." The female sneered, not phased with his memory.

"Name's Ibuki. You ready to go?" Ash was closing in but what would Ibuki have in store?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...

(Thanks to all the votes but it's still not done. Now comes for Ash's rival. Most votes becomes Ash's rival before he battles Seth.)


	8. Knocked It Off

_Chapter 8: Knocked it Off_

* * *

Ash and Ibuki reached a wooden bridge covered on some moss and drenched in the river's water. Ash, coming off his victory against veteran Street Fighter Ryu and his explosive outburst on Team Rocket's Jessie, was still trying to convince Pikachu that he was normal. Ibuki was reluctant to battle her next opponent since she had respect for "cool boys." Well, Ash was 5-0 in his last six matches. "This should work," Ibuki studied the bridge. The bridge was wide enough to fit several people wide. "Oh, yeah! Perfect for a little modification!" What modification was she talking about?

"What do you mean a little modification?" Ash questioned. Ibuki shot a look to the little warrior with a grin.

"We're gonna be out of bounds." What? Clarify. "We'll have a match on the bridge. We won't use any super attacks so that we don't try to injure ourselves. A round is over when one of us touches anything else than the planks or each other, so stepping off the bridge isn't a good thing." In a sense, Ash and Ibuki were only fighting on the bridge and if either would fall in the river or step on the dirt, they're out of the round and scored to the opponent.

"Sounds like fun. What do we play to?"

"Well, I've been watching plenty of baseball, especially the World Series last fall between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies. I think a best of seven rounds is good enough." Whoever wins four rounds wins the match.

"Okay. Don't expect me to fall that easily." Both got on opposite sides, ready to battle. Before they got started, men in black...no, not the same alien-patrolling Men in Black, just some men in black jumpsuits surrounding the bridge and planting all sorts of gadgets like satellite dishes, cameras and anything else that seemed unnecessary. Watching the group of men set up for this contest, Ash and Ibuki were puzzled.

"So that's how this battle will break down," another woman voiced. The two turned to view a grown buxom redhead wearing a business tuxedo with the blouse partially buttoned. She also wore some cool shades. "Ibuki, what do you think this is, Virtua Fighter? Soul Blade?" Must be other fighting games.

"Hey, ease off, Viper!" Ibuki acted as if offended. "I don't want to hurt this kid more than need be and that's why this contest should be quick and easy on both of us." Viper scoffed Ibuki's protest.

"Oh, ease up yourself. I'm here with my employees to act as scorekeeper, replay operator and referee. Since this is out-of-bounds rules, we'll only stop the match upon the crossing of the boundary." Both sides agreed, ready to throw down...or that was the presumption.

"Hey, Ash!" Ibuki called out. "Since we're gonna be hitting the water a few times, why not we try without the use of our shirts? You know, keep them dry?" What's with the request out of nowhere? She wanted to make sure Ash's clothes were dry? To make her point, Ibuki ripped her outfit from her body, either forgetting that there were a bunch of men and Ash who could take her act the wrong way or not caring at all. The removal revealed not her lady lumps but a tie-dye bikini and a pink thong. Her hairpiece was still on but wow, she's got a great body. Even Viper's men were having a difficult time focusing on the contest coming. Ash was barely phased with the new swimwear from the ninja.

"What is this, a Street Fight or a strip show?" Ash sighed. Surrendering to her request, Ash peeled off his sweat-tee and t-shirt...and he looked like he'd been in great shape. Check out his abs! Even Ibuki had her eyes glued on his mid-section. A flirty whistle from her had Pikachu wondering what he did to earn that piece of respect.

"Cameras, set," one man called to Viper who finished placing the last camcorder on a tripod.

"Scoreboard, set," another man announced. The scoreboard read "0:0." There was a piece of white cardboard with "ASH:IBUKI" over the scoreboard.

"Do we have the referee set?" Viper wondered. That's when a familiar loser made his arrival...wearing a zebra-striped t-shirt.

"I still can't believe you'd bet on the kid getting another perfect win," growled Dan. Ho, it's that Saki-... Who again? "Stop that! How many times do I have to remind you? It's Saikyō-Ryū!" Oh, yeah!

"Danny, don't go squirreling off at the fourth wall." Dan whined that he was being scolded like a child. Poor dude can't catch a break. "Now, remember that this isn't a knockout but force-out contest. Any contact off the bridge is an out and a score. The first to four wins and I want you to be fair." Viper rose her arm to reveal a remote control, stoking Dan's fears. Was the t-shirt rigged? Everyone's set with Ash and Ibuki ready to fight.

"Okay, Ash is ready..." Dan murmured...to Ibuki...who heard him.

"Hey, hey!" she snapped at him. "Ash is over there! What do I look like, an Ash_ley_!" Ashley, good one.

"Oops. My bad. Ibuki is ready. And so is Ash." Time to battle. Dan rose his arm, ready to send the battle on the way. Then he swung down. "FIGHT!" Both fighters began throwing in the middle. Ibuki was showing off her speed as she spun around the young fighter. That's when she snatched Ash's head and twisted it, flipping him off balance. She quickly followed it up with a kick to his back. Ash was hurled across the bridge, skipped once and fell into the water. Dan made the call. "Out! Point, Ibuki!" All agreed to the call as Ash climbed out of the drink. The scoreboard was now reading "0:1" Ibuki was up one-to-nothing.

'Ibuki's fast,' Ash minded. That was rather fast of Ibuki to finish the first round. Both combatants were set for the second round as Dan did the same motion.

"Second round...FIGHT!" Wary of Ibuki's ninja speed, Ash stood back and waited for Ibuki to come. Well, she came...passed him and was ready to toss him back down the river. Ash felt the pressure and flung elbows backwards. Ibuki dodged each swing, scoring a leg sweep and tripping Ash as Pikachu watched in humor. That's your master getting his butt drenched. Well, Ash was fighting a girl so there's a reason the electric mouse Pokémon was in stitches. Before Ash hit the wooded planks, Ibuki flipped over him, grabbed him and flung him onto the dirt. Once again, Ash was off the bridge. "Out! Point, Ibuki!" Ibuki cheered and threw her arm up in celebration. Ash was a different story and with the scoreboard now reading "0:2," Ketchum was in need to Ketchup. If anyone is disgusted with that joke, sorry.

"Come on, Ash!" Ibuki teased. "If you were able to beat Bison without breaking a sweat, how come you're having a hard time dealing with me?" Well, Bison was using his psycho energy a lot, but Ibuki was immersed in the speed of the ninja. A clear advantage.

"It's not over yet," Ash growled. No, but if Ibuki knocks Ash out a couple more times, the fat lady's hitting the high notes. Round three was about to begin. Fighters were set.

"Round three," Dan announced. "Fight!" Ibuki charged in but Ash stood like a statue. Dan thought Ash had gone deaf. "Hey! I said fight!" No movement yet. Ibuki was there in his face. That's about as close as she could get. Ash nailed Ibuki in the chops with a flying knee. Ibuki flew clear of the bridge and into the drink. SPLASH! Ibuki was swimming. Dan was stunned with that quick round. "O-Out! P-Point, Ash!" The scoreboard now read "1:2." Ash was still behind but it did stop Ibuki's streak. Viper looked on in awe at the young trainer.

"Perhaps he could be a likely husband for Lauren," she swooned. The scorekeeper had a befuddled look as he gazed back at Viper.

"Now's not the time to reflect on your daughter," he warned. Viper had a kid? Everything okay on Ibuki's end, Round Four was the subject.

"Round four, begin!" Dan called. Both charged in and Ash was the first to swing a punch but Ibuki ducked the shot...that was still winding. Ash faked out Ibuki.

"Gotcha!" Ash teased before throwing which Ibuki blocked and tossed...only to have Ash kick her in the ribs. That kick sent Ibuki back in the swim of things. This match was even.

"Out! Point, Ash!" The scoreboard now read "2:2" to signify the tie. After Ibuki checked out, the Best-of-Seven was about to be a Best-of-Three. Viper reviewed the two rounds Ash won compared to Ibuki's two wins.

"Is there a problem, boss?" the scorekeeper wondered.

"Well, the first two rounds were Ibuki's out of her ninja abilities," she replayed. "Yet, Ash won the last two in swift fashion, taking less than ten seconds." Looking back, Ash stopped the third round in 8.77 seconds and the fourth in 6.55. "Perhaps Ash is injured and wanted to finish this match quickly." If Ash was injured, he wasn't showing it. Perhaps it was all in Viper's head.

"Time for Five!" Dan prepped. "FIGHT!" Ibuki leaped to the air, ready to lay the feet onto Ash. On the downfall, Ash rolled under Ibuki. After Ibuki landed, Ash was on the attack. That's when this fight got a little close for comfort. Ash palmed Ibuki to block...only to unintentionally grab her breast. Ibuki was beside herself with how brazen Ash was. Ash was dumbfounded that he was clasping his opponent in the boob. Dan was excited. Come on, Dan's a guy! Almost immediately, both fighters backed away and Ibuki covered the breast. Wow, can an apology work after that misstep?

"Sorry..." Ash sighed while itching his head. Ibuki chuckled. Maybe she was surprised with how offensive Ash can attack.

"No biggie," she shrugged off. Back to the fight, Ash was up to his unorthodox moves as he did his Hitmontop expression again, spinning on his head and kicking away. Ibuki steered clear before she attempted to sweep him with a leg kick. Ash flung his legs out, flipping free from her leg's path. Same motion, Ash performed an ax kick but Ibuki blocked it. Ash sprung back and landed to continue.

"OUT!" Dan called and pointed to his feet. "Point, Ibuki!"

"What?" Ash screeched in disbelief. He thought he was called out prematurely. He looked down to make sure both feet were inbound, or on the bridge. His left foot was on the wood. His right foot...on the dirt. Oops... So far, it's been a clean match-up between Ash and Ibuki but Ash was down three to two. It was match point for Ibuki but not if Ash had anything to do with it.

"Match point! FIGHT!" Both charged in for round six in this exhausting match. Ash did a jumping leg kick but Ibuki leaped over the strike and was behind Ash again.

"It's over!" she cheered...a bit prematurely. She grabbed Ash...only it vanished and Ash quickly whipped her around the neck, tossing her to the side. SPLASH! Ibuki hit the water again. At least there was no harm to the bones but she was drenched.

"Out! Point, Ash!" Ibuki was wet but fine but bewildered at what happened. Viper couldn't believe Ash had that underhanded technique. The scorekeeper looked at the replay on the monitor to understand what occurred. Slowed down, the replay showed that when Ash missed his attack, he landed on his feet, only his real body bent to a knee after quickly creating the Double Team figure who stood in dumbfounded glare. After Ibuki attacked the fake, Ash sealed the round with that arm grab and throw.

"Ash is a lot slicker than Ibuki realized," he theorized. "If this is why he's undefeated so far, he's got potential for greatness." Perhaps...

"He defeated Dan and Bison without breaking a sweat," Viper remembered. "Let's see if this last round proves he's worth this trip against the warriors." Someone should ask him about his battle with Ryu. The scoreboard read "3:3." The final round was upon the two.

"This round will decide the winner," Dan announced. "FIGHT!" The last time the two raced in, and already the fists were flying. This was for keeps. Ash had to know that with this win, he would practically overcome his five-battle losing streak. A good minute passed as each traded blows and blocks. Suddenly, Ash was close to the edge. Ibuki closed in, feeling confident that she'd take Ash down for good. She swung a front kick but Ash spun under it and grabbed Ibuki around her chest. The ninja's momentum was too much and both fell over the side. SPLASH! Dan went over to see who was wet and dry. Both were wet as they surfaced...but now wondered who won? Both left the bridge simultaneously from Dan's view. Even he couldn't make the call if his life depended on Viper's punishment dealer, whatever it was. "Review! Review!" The men dismantled their equipment and handed over to the monitor at Viper's location. Pikachu, seeing how Ash was able to keep that anger bottled, finally came over to his shoulder.

"Told ya!" he sneered. Yep, he did. Viper and her men viewed the battle up to the last round. Meantime, Dan had one burning question as he approached.

"So, Ash," he eerily snickered. "How did her boob feel?" He was creeping out Ash with that grin and question. Viper heard the wondered, not pleased a bit. It was an innocent incident. She pulled out a remote and hit a button. ZAP! The uniform lit up in blue lightning and shocked Dan into submission. Ash and Ibuki watched on as Dan was feeling the voltage coursing through every orifice of his body.

"You just had to open your mouth like that," she scowled. They finally got onto the final moment of the match when Ash and Ibuki fell over. Normal speed was too fast and close to tell who fell first.

"One more time, ½ speed," her assistant informed. The slow motion showed Ash still rotating around Ash up. Ibuki had little control and the video finally stopped. Ash's hand was centimeters from the water but Ibuki's back was already touching. It was close but Ash was about to be crowned the winner.

"It's official. Winner of the last round goes to Ash!" Ash cheered, his unbeaten streak still intact. Ibuki accepted her defeat at the hands of her opponent.

"Ash, that was a great match," she acknowledged. At least he didn't blow his top and try to kill her. "I'm impressed with your skills as much as that body. I almost want it for myself." You've got to admit for his young age, Ash was well structured. Pikachu sighed, though happy that his master was getting respect. "6-0 is impressive. Who's your next opponent?" Good question.

"Gee, I don't know," Ash shrugged. "Who's left?" Not a whole lot. Viper came forward with an idea.

"Smith, tell the boss I'm taking time off to see family," she told one of her associates.

"Yes, ma'am!" he reply as he snagged a cell phone from his pocket. Viper now turned to Ash.

"Ash, I'd like to introduce you to someone back in Charlotte." Who would that be? Ash and Pikachu had odd feelings about this.

* * *

_(Drive-In at Night, Charlotte, NC, USA/3 Days Later)_

Ash and Pikachu were back in the United States with Viper...and a little redhead girl. They were at a drive-in kiosk with plenty of young adults and vehicles decked out from hot rods to low-riders. The little girl was happily petting Pikachu as Ash and Viper watched on. "I can't believe a real Pikachu actually exists," she excitedly chirped. Ash smiled, his little friend making another little friend.

"Who's Lauren's dad?" Ash wondered. Viper dipped his head, trying not to consider talking about the subject.

"He's a deadbeat," she summarized. "He's the reason I signed up undercover for the US agency to pay the bills for me and Lauren." That's one dad who's getting nothing for Father's Day. Ash could relate.

"I think my mom and I live under those same conditions." Lauren turned to Ash, concerned about what he meant.

"Did your daddy run from you and your mommy?" she asked. Sadly, Ash nodded.

"I don't remember the last time my dad visited me. Then again, I've been all around on my Pokémon journeys so I don't know if he's visited while I was out earning Gym Badges like these." Ash pulled out a small case. He opened and revealed six small and styling pins. One was a brown rectangle with two corners in gold and larger than normal. One was a blue boxing glove with the thumb as orange. One was a yellow circle with a "rod" sticking out of both sides. One was a flaming fastball. One was shaped like a barbell and the last was a bird's wing. These were Ash's badges? "I still need two more to compete in the League Tournament. It's not quite the same as this where a fight will wind up in the hospital." Lauren was pretty supportive of Ash being able to get his last two badges.

"I know you will. You're too good to let a setback beat you." That was sweet.

"Thanks a lot, Lauren." Just as they were ready to eat...

"That's enough!" a man shouted from outside. The group heard the noise from outside which grew in protest. They bailed and found a sight which Ash's heart skipped a beat. Sakura, beaten and barely conscious, her clothes torn, had her arm held up and her downed body in the air by a shirtless man wearing a mask. He had a purple snake tattoo wrapped around the top and his blond hair was long and braided. He wore tight purple pants and what kinds of shoes were those?

"How shameful it is to fight me and not touch me," he sneered. "I would've done you in without my mask." He was arrogant beyond belief. He readied talons which were in his other hand. "Now my sweet. It's time to meet you demise." Not if Ash had anything to do with it as he got a ball set.

"Swellow, Quick Attack!" From the ball, Swellow came out and smacked Sakura free with a vicious wing strike. Ash and Pikachu got to Sakura before this man did any more unneeded damage. Lauren and Viper reached Ash and Sakura. "Get her to the sidelines." Viper turned to the blond man who wasn't real happy about someone running interference.

"What are you gonna do with Vega?" she wondered. Ash scorned a look at Sakura's abuser. He wasn't hurt during that battle against her. To Ash, he saw someone who needed to be put in his place and stood to face him as Swellow returned.

"What do you think? She lost but that's no excuse to kill someone." She's not dead but the talons were a real threat. How can Ash fight someone who has a weapon?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	9. Talon Your Breath Away

_Chapter 9: Talon Your Breath Away_

* * *

"Hm," Vega huffed as he removed his mask, revealing a very handsome young man. "Interference in a battle? Have you no decency?" Really? He practically defeated Sakura with one hand tied behind his back and was attempting to kill her. Viper and daughter, Lauren were treating Sakura of her injuries she suffered at the hand and claw of Vega.

"Why do I have the feeling that your fight with Sakura was unfair?" Ash questioned. He knew that those talons extended his reach at his opponent but felt that something else contributed to Vega's win.

"_Relájate, muchacho!" _He revealed his claws which were longer than his head. "This talon is my pride and joy in the battle! Of course, one has to have his or her attention on their awareness which she failed to do." Awareness? Did Vega launch a sneak attack on Sakura?

"You issued the challenge against her?"

"_Si!_ For her to fall so easily even with studying the abilities of that one old boy, Ryu. I mean, really! You look less of a worthy opponent than her." Ash huffed a scoff, remembering something he didn't.

"You mean you didn't get the memo of how I was able to take down Bison without being touched _once?_ I mean, everyone had to have known about now how I managed to perform there." Yeah who hasn't heard of Ash's dominance against Bison? Dan was pathetic against the upstart but who actually cared?

"You beat Bison, you say?" Vega's humored face was quickly covered by dressing it with the mask. "_Impresionante! _Perhaps you can be a more worthy opponent for my matador skills." Both Ash and Vega squared off for their battle as two females entered, one no one's seen for a while. Both did not like the scene in front of them.

"No way!" Chun-Li gasped. "I thought he was dead." Vega? Cammy spotted someone else, presumably Viper. She seethed a bit.

"If Vega's a surprise, this will gets your knickers in a bunch," she scowled. "If I'm not mistaken, and I'd rather not question Intel, that's gotta be Crimson Viper. She works for SIN, that Shadaloo branch." Viper worked for an evil organization? "I'm wondering what she's doing with the young chap. I'd rather not believe she's scouting him for new fighters." Wagers were being placed and so far, Vega was getting the most votes to win, once again pitting Ash as the underdog. Most would cite Vega as the favorite due to his talon. Crimson Viper was about to make a huge gamble.

"$2,000,000 on Ash," she bet. $2,000,000? When someone makes a bet of that proportion, they're really rolling some big craps. Without waiting for a referee or some sort of official, Vega sprinted at Ash with super speed that Ash flinched.

'That's fast!' he thought at that moment before Vega was in his face. He swiped Ash with the talon but Ash ducked and wound an uppercut with the left hand. He fired but Vega was too fast and cleared from the strike. Resetting, Ash was fascinated with Vega's agility.

"Did you really think you could hit me with your simpleton boxing? _¡__Qu__é__ verg__ü__enza! Usted me dijo que era mejor que esta._" Vega's pretty prideful in English and Spanish. Ash realized he's in trouble.

"He's faster than I can think. Okay, it's a bit of a stretch since I rather act than think on impulse." He's going to need to think faster because Vega lunged at Ash again, his talon in front. Ash waited for a second before diving and rolling underneath Vega. Midway through, Ash sprung a double kick, trying to hit Vega in the ribs. Vega moved so fast, Ash airmailed the strike. Vega flipped and turned to Ash. His facial expressions were behind the mask so you couldn't really tell if he was rattled, impressed or bored. 'I've never seen speed like that. It's like his entire body is aerodynamic.' That's when he remembered that he was using the talon for those attacks. 'Why is he only using his talon? He can use his other limbs.' With a jump, Vega was within reach and began to swipe away with the talon. He slashed and slashed but Ash stepped side to side, looking for some sort of opening. Thinking he spotted an opening, Ash wound his fist for another strike but Vega was too fast. SLASH! The talon pierced Ash's chest and the crowd gasped at the sudden strike. Ash was shocked but the real surprise was that no blood was spilled. Something was wrong with this scene. BAM! Double leg dropkick from behind. Ah, the classic Double Team trick. The fake Ash vaporized while the real deal dealt the strike. Vega sprung back onto his feet, rather bewitched with that strike. It was hard to tell no thanks to that mask he wore. The crowd was shocked that Ash wasn't hurt when it looked like the death skewer and scored a counterstrike.

"_Buen disparo! _Guess I'm not the only one with underhanded tactics. But now is the time I use some of my favorites turns." He leaped onto a convertible's hood with a wicked flame decal before jumping around other cars, trying to turn Ash dizzy. Some of the people watching weren't happy that Vega used their cars as springboards.

"That's it, dude!" one guy roared. "You're paying for your dents to my Babe Magnet!" Another guy, not so upset, tapped the first guy and pointed to a sign.

DRIVEWAY OF DRIVE-IN AUTHORIZED BY THE STREET FIGHTER ORGANIZATION-PARK YOUR VEHICLES AT YOUR OWN RISK AS WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY AND ALL DAMAGES CAUSED BY ANY FIGHTS.

There's a good chance he didn't read the sign. Vega bounced off one more van before flying at Ash from behind. The noise prompted Ash to turn at him and he jumped as well. Vega thrust his talon out, Ash grinning. He was waiting for this chance. He did a double kick just to knock the talon away and leave Vega opened for a knockdown. KAPOW! A double-handed tomahawk chop struck Vega in the back of the head. Vega slammed the concrete and rolled a couple of times before coming to rest on his stomach. Suddenly, any advantage Vega had kept getting pegged down notch per notch but Ash remained wary. Even though the momentum was all on his shoulders, there was still that talon. One solid strike and Ash would be in trouble. "All the momentum in Ash's belt and he still looks shagged," Cammy studied. "You don't reckon it's Vega's talon, do you?"

"Yeah, that would be my first concern," Chun-Li murmured. "If Ash was a range fighter like Guile, Ken or myself, we'd do something about that claw. But Ash isn't really a range fighter." No, he's more of a close combat fighter. Sakura came around and spotted Vega rising to his feet in which Ash watched.

"A-Ash?" she weakly muttered. She tried to get up but Viper and Lauren kept her steady. "Vega...that...creep attacked me out of nowhere." A sneak attack? Vega wasn't just battling Ash with that talon, he's also a coward, a note Ash heard and got mad at.

"So, that's the story," Ash growled. "You prefer attacking young ladies from behind?" Vega scoffed as he faced Ash once again.

"One should be aware of their surroundings," he sneered...if that's what he was doing behind the mask. "Ergo, she failed to watch her back...much like you will." He dashed back at and over Ash. He sprung backwards with the talon in the lead. Ash spun with a roundhouse heel kick but Vega swam his arm around the attempt. This wasn't good. BOOM! The talon plunged into Ash's chest with resounding velocity. The crowd gasped in horror. The talon entered the chest and exited out the back like a stick to a marshmallow. Blood poured out of Ash's chest and back, staining his clothes. He was standing but stuck on the talon for several seconds. Ash's life was becoming grim. Swiftly, Vega removed the talon to let Ash fall in his apparent death. He slumped onto his backside with his head hung low, motionless. Viper, Lauren, Pikachu. Chun-Li and Cammy were in shock. Callously, Vega snickered, satisfied that he defeated his latest opponent who actually gave him some difficulty.

"No..." Sakura wearyingly cried out. "Ash-sama, don't die..." Vega turned around, confident in his win. Ash remained still...but his mind was working.

'Can't really breathe good,' he minded, still alive but gravely injured. 'He really got me in the right lung. I don't want this to be over. I need to muster everything I got...even if it means I go against what Pikachu needs to see.' Lauren and Sakura hoped for it all be for naught and that Ash was still with them when they spotted his hand twitching...then gripped. This was promising. Then he began to fold his leg up. The disturbance of the dirt stopped Vega in his tracks to look back at Ash who carefully moved his joints one after the other. Vega was more humored than amazed.

"Really?" he sighed. Ash was finally on his feet but didn't look to be in any shape to walk, let alone fight. "Knowing that you're on your legs, it means I missed your heart. No matter. It'll be over in a second." Ash's eyes turned to Vega when he started to see double from his glowing blue eyes. The second Vega looked like a cutout picture of him charging at the trainer, then vanishing. It popped up again, closer. Fading in and out, Vega was racing headlong into Ash...all while Vega was standing still, mocking his death to be.

'What am I seeing?' It would soon be clear. Vega began the speeding charge once more, moving exactly where the pictures depicted he'd be. Suddenly, the talon was aimed at Ash, a potential death blow. Only, Ash wasn't about to take it. Instead...BAM! Ash connected a punt on Vega's chin. Ash twisted his body and swung a head kick, smashing his foot to Vega's chin which most of the blow was absorbed by the mask. Man, what's that mask out of? Vega did a flip from the impact and crashed the ground spine first and Ash stumbled his landing. Blood was squirting from the wounds. His body was severely weak from all the loss of blood. Vega got back on his feet but greatly startled at the sudden turn.

"Okay, that wasn't right." Vega went low by doing somersaults at Ash, no doubt still relying on his talon to finish the job. As soon as those blades began to come out, Ash sensed it and spun another kick, knocking the talon from his hand which embedded itself on the Babe Magnet's tire. The guy can be mad at the two for damages to his car but he's in no position to complain. Talk about being up a creek without a paddle. Speaking of that creek, Vega found himself there when the talon was removed. Well forget the creek and enter the river. A full rotation positioned Ash to connect a blazing left cross into his mask. The vicious strike was about to cost Vega more than his weapon of choice. The mask shattered into a hundred pieces, exposing his handsome face. He's got no more talon, no more mask...what could he have left? Ash scored an uppercut, nailing Vega in the mouth. Ash was glowing the same blue from when he protected Mel from Jessie. Focus Fury time! Ash was landing blow after blow, Vega too traumatized from losing his facial armor and his extension of his arm. "Not the face! Not the face!" Vega was turned into a total wimp. He was mule kicked into the air in which Ash powered his feet, striking a double leg dropkick on the chest with glowing feet. This was Jessie all over again.

"Allow me to say this in a language you can understand! _Nunca se coloque sus manos o garras en otra chica durante el tiempo que usted vive! Comprende!_" Who knew Ash learned Spanish? Vega was too stunned to realize his position of being defeated. Like Jessie before, Vega was kicked with immense velocity, destroying the Babe Magnet on unbelievable impact. The car was now a smoking heap of twisted metal. That guy might as well invest in getting a taxi because his ride was beyond repair, less drivable. Vega was out for the count, his face looking worse than Bison after he was knocked out. He was also stiff as a board. Was he dead? Ash landed and eyed the down enemy. This fight was over. Everyone was in awed silence. Despite punctured lungs and massive blood loss, Ash emerged victorious. Suddenly, he fell to his knee, completely drained. Recovered enough, Sakura and Lauren ran out to Ash's side, knowing full well he needed medical help.

"Ash-sama!" Sakura cried out. The two made it to catch Ash falling unconscious from the loss of blood. Viper, Cammy and Chun-Li raced over and began to treat Ash. The crowd wanted to congratulate Ash's win but even they knew that Ash needed emergency operations to survive. Could he be saved? Right now, the only comfort was the ambulance pulling in. EMT personnel raced out and scooped Ash onto a gurney to transport him to the hospital.

* * *

_(2 days later, Duke University Hospital, Durham, NC, USA)_

The opening of eyes. He was alive. His eyes wandered around, seeing different things like a widescreen TV, walls, a sink, a pouch of clear liquid dripping into his tube and down to his arm, a window looking out at the rising sun. No, this was not Japan. His arm was in a splint, unable to move it if he desired. But that hand had someone else. Tracing the hand on his, he found Sakura nestled on his splinted arm, about a foot from the tubes. Steadily, Ash used his free hand to brush her hair. Was Sakura by his side the whole time he was out? Feeling his hand sweeping her hair, Sakura blindly reached for that combing hand. "Flies..." she muttered. "Stop... My hair..." Sakura had bandages on her arm and face, presumably from that sneak attack from Vega. She opened her eyes when she snagged Ash's hand. She pulled his hand down, realizing it was no house fly. She peered over to the bed and saw an awakened and smiling Ash.

"Have you been bedside this whole time?" he weakly murmured. Sakura was surprised to see him awake so soon. She caressed Ash's head in a hug in relief that he was alive.

"Ash-sama~!" Ash wrapped his free arm to embrace Sakura. "You don't know how worried I was!" How could he, he'd been unconscious from exhaustion, injuries and loss of blood. Sakura did not want to let him go. Her happy tears dripped onto the blanket, Ash was understanding the compounding factor from his near-death battle against Vega. His clipboard from the front of the bed indicated his injuries.

INJURIES: STAB WOUNDS X4 TO CHEST, CRACKED RIGHT RIBS, PUNCTURED RIGHT LUNG X3, SPRAINED WRIST. EMERGENCY OPERATION: SUCCESSFUL

He took a beating. Sakura lifted her head a little, gazing into his eyes and vice-versa. Sakura couldn't hold back any longer. She emulated Ryu's style of fighting but even her training couldn't hold her heart back from this moment as she leaned back down and softly kissed Ash in the lips. She'd better be careful. Ash was still in recovery. Now he knew what his Pokémon go through each time they get checked into a Pokémon Center. Speaking of, Ash was about to get the heart attack of surprises. "Wow, Ash!" sounded...Max? "This is the first time I've seen you score a girl." Sakura and Ash jumped and turned to a young raven-haired boy in glasses, a green polo t-shirt and shorts in front of Guile who's holding Pikachu. Ash was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the new...or old but young acquaintance.

"Max, what are you do-" he snapped before the begrudging pain silenced him, forcing his hand to his wounded chest. Max got worried about that sudden grip of pain.

"Take it easy, soldier," Guile warned. Not wanting to argue, Ash relaxed himself back onto his pillow. "I heard about your fight that may leave Vega in a permanent vegetative state but since Cammy advised me about how it occurred, I can't really dispute disciplinary actions." He pulled out a DVD from his pants pocket. How was it not dented or bent? "Security cameras saw what happened before you interfered." Inserting the DVD and Max and Sakura standing by Ash's bed, Guile had the TV set to play the footage. When it started, there was Sakura warming up, a little training.

"Yeah, I was trying to remember Ryu-san's teachings," Sakura detailed. As the group watched, a question needed to be uncovered.

"So, how did you find your way here, Max?" he asked. Max was a bit startled but he had to be feeling rather worried for Ash.

"Accident," he replied. "You hadn't been calling for quite a while so May, Brock and I figured you lost somewhere and returned to see about reviving that adventure through the Hoenn Region. And it just so happened that we spotted Guile's fighter jet entering the scene. We made it to where the jet touched down and spotted the colonel but not you. He told us that you were doing great and that he needed to blow off some steam from interrogating someone named Bison, who he believed was still shocked that some no-nonsense kid beat him easily." Hey, even Ash's friends got wind of his fighting prowess.

"I elected Max to join me so that Pikachu and the other Pokémon would have someone watching while you fight," Guile added. "But as soon as I returned, Cammy contacted me and said that you were in the hospital with a critically damaged right lung with other injuries from your fight with Vega." Talk about running into someone in the Intensive Care Unit when you reunite. They all turned back to the DVD and noticed that Sakura was searching around. Sakura remembered this moment.

"I heard a rustle," she commentated. "I was searching for it when I spotted you, Viper and that little girl coming out. That little distraction was all Vega needed." That's when they spotted Vega swiftly enter the scene and swipe the talon, scratching Sakura in the back. Sakura turned to fight Vega but his speed was way too great for her to compete against and that talon was keeping her from making a mistake, unlike Ash. Sakura was unprepared for that attack.

"He's relentless," Max studied.

"Yeah, but that's not gonna be a problem now," Ash referred from his battle.

"True, but the outcome could have been different," Guile warned as he fast forwarded the video to the moment Vega tagged Ash. "Max, I should warn you to divert your eyes as this next scene is very graphic." Sakura and Ash knew the scene, although it's the first time Ash saw the moment from a different point of view. Max wasn't too worried. Seeing Ash in the hospital was enough to say he knew what to expect.

"Come on," he shrugged. "How bad can it be?" He was warned. To prove his point, Guile hit Play. That's when Max saw Vega's talon enter Ash and exit the back in the swift motion. Ash cringed at how brutal that stab was and how close to the middle of the chest it was. Max was petrified in fear. He should have taken Guile's advice from the start. Ash rested his head and knew he had a long road to normalcy. The next few days were the start of recuperation. He started with breathing exercises with Sakura by his side to get his surgically repaired lung in shape. Walking was barely a problem as he started with a cane instead of a walker only to graduate to his own support. Of course, hospital food wasn't the best during his stay. A week after admittance to the hospital, Ash was ready to be discharged with Max and Sakura by his side. "How does it feel to get out of Blue Devil Country and head home?" They were in Duke University, home of the Blue Devils. But head home?

"Yeah, to imagine that I'm the champion of this year's tournament," Ash praised. "Once I collect the grand prize, it's back to Pokémon training." Sakura was happy to see Ash walking about and ready to live his normal life. "Although, it's gonna be a long time before I can breathe like I used to." Ash wasn't 100%. Still, he wanted to return and get his last badges.

"You know, I would like to see your world," Sakura wished. The boys were astonished with the request.

("Really?") Pikachu squeaked. Before anyone made a chance to argue, a knock on the door. All turned to a male nurse in scrubs who came in from the open door.

"I'm sorry for interrupting," he apologized with what looked like a DVD. "Mr. Ketchum, someone wanted me to give this to you." Handed the DVD, Ash wondered what it was all about. More importantly, who sent it?

"Can't be from Bison," he began deducting suspects. "If he ain't telling Guile about Charlie, no way he'd tell me." Instead of continuing his suspicions, he popped the DVD into the player and Max hit the play button. The video started where a silhouette shrouded in darkness stood.

"Mr. Ketchum, congratulations for standing on the peak of the Street Fighter circuit," the man gloated his praise to Ash. "However, you have one final fight with me, the head of SIN. When you see the completion of this video, you'll be transported to an area undisclosed to satellite or any radar available." Ash's time in this world wasn't done. One more fight became the subject. Can the Pallet Town Pantheon muster one more fight...with the weakened lung holding him back?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	10. Untrained SIN

_Chapter 10: Untrained SIN_

* * *

One more challenge...by the head of SIN. Ash, Sakura, Max and Pikachu were surprised to hear about one more fighter ready to battle the undefeated trainer. Who would challenge Ash when almost everyone had stood and lost to him? Almost because Chun-Li vs. Ash battle was rendered no-contest. The only thing on the video was a spinning sphere. Half of the sphere was black and the other half white, both colors having glowing "eyes." Hearing the voice, Max assumed the worst was yet to come. "Just from the sound of his voice, this boss of SIN isn't willing to go down easily," he studied. If this last guy was this confident from his voice, he had to be really strong. "By the way, what is SIN?" Sakura listened to the question with an answer of her own.

"That's a branch of Shadaloo, a global criminal organization," she answered. "Shadaloo has been around for years, remaining under the radar while running numerous black market deals involving drugs and weapons. A few years ago, Shadaloo had kidnapped young females, brainwashing them and enhancing what fighting abilities they had. After the operation was shut down by Ryu-san and Charlie, and added by a good friend of mine, Karin, we believed it was the last we'd see of Shadaloo. However, knowing that Bison still lived because Ash-sama overpowered him, Shadaloo's still around. Lately, SIN was reported to have taken over for Shadaloo after it's fall. And now...we're seeing it." The rise of SIN. Ash stared at the screen of his ICU-appointed TV which now shifted to an eye behind an oval. They were still in the Duke University Hospital after Ash's fight with Vega virtually killed his lung via Vega's talon. For him to be issued one more battle, Ash was feeling cornered because of his still healing injury and the opponent's determination. Regardless, he flashed a grin.

"Reminds me of Tracey's Scyther," he backtracked. Must be another friend of Ash's because neither Max nor Sakura had any idea who he was.

"Who's Tracey?" Max asked. Ash thought it was okay to tell his little friend a little detail.

"Tracey is a Pokémon Watcher and Prof. Oak's assistant. He was with me and Misty in the Orange Islands where I had a Lapras to carry us from island to island." Nice little tale.

"Cool! I didn't know Prof. Oak hired assistants to help in his lab in Pallet Town!" Ash and Sakura laughed when suddenly, Ash felt an unusual sensation...and not the good kind. The same thing was sensed by Pikachu and the other humans. Before they figured out what's going on...POOF! They vanished.

* * *

_(Crumbling Laboratory, Unknown Location)_

The young group appeared out of the blue in a huge structure. The location appeared to be a hallway but filled with giant incubators with bald bluish men missing a stomach. All sorts of wires and circuit boards... "Are we in some sort of laboratory?" Max wondered. Ash wanted to agree in a sense.

"It's not one I'm familiar with," he sighed. As he got to his feet, a sharp pain forced him back on his knees. He grasped his chest, the wound still affecting him.

"Ash-sama!" Sakura shrieked as she got to help Ash on his feet. "Maybe you should forfeit this last battle. You're in no condition!" It's a strong consideration but Ash didn't feel like disappointing this last task. Back on his feet and supported by Sakura, Ash begrudgingly proceeded forward. When they entered a large dome-like room, they knew this was where they needed to be. Machines were running the show in here. That's when echoes of laughter bounced all over the room. Someone was making their arrival a little unique. A large hovering platform popped up from below and a light blue-skinned man, a lot like those found in those incubators...except he had a stomach. It was that sphere which was on the DVD. The man looked down to see the four, questioning who he wanted to see.

"I believe I only desired Mr. Ketchum," he spoke. He only wanted Ash which all turned to.

("Guess he wants you, buddy,") Pikachu squeaked. Ash nodded, allowing Max, Pikachu and Sakura to retreat. Sakura didn't retreat, still supporting Ash. The new threat still wasn't satisfied. He needed Sakura to move.

"He can't fight!" she snapped. "Can't you see he's hurt?" The man heard the desperate cry and twisted to a capsule which opened on its own.

"Load him in there," he instructed. "He should be ready to go in a couple of minutes. You'd be surprised at how far nanotechnology has progressed over the years." Ash bobbed a nod and was helped into the capsule. He rested on a body board and Sakura shut the door. The capsule lit up while the rest watch on. After a few minutes, the capsule ceased. It opened up and there was Ash, standing tall. He walked out with more stout and his arms had more tone. His first act after stepping out? He flicked his cap to Sakura which landed on her head perfectly. So perfectly, the tail of the headband exited the back of the cap. He stood with a grin so stoically, everyone knew he was ready to finish what Guile entered him to.

"I needed that," he scoffed. Finally he faced the man who brought him here. "That nano...whatever it is has potential to help a lot of people."

"The nanotechnology is still imperfect for outside use but thanks for the compliment. I am Seth. Let me be the chairman to say that I'm impressed you made it this far." Ash smirked as his acknowledgment.

"I am Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Trainer. I may not know the real reason I was invited to this tournament but I know that it will end here." Seth was waiting for that notion and leaped from his floating platform and landed just a foot from Ash.

"Ash, show me your power. All of it! Don't hold back!" The final battle was ready to begin. Seth's stance had his arms out to side, anticipating Ash to strike. Ash lunged for his head and landed a nice blow to the jaw...if only Seth's skin wasn't hard. It was as if Ash had hit a brick wall, it hurt his hand than it did Seth's cheek. He shook it off and made the others worry. "Surprised? My shell is chrome: durable enough to withstand basic attacks and flexible enough to move freely." If there was a reason Ash should be in a disadvantage, this was it.

"So that's why Seth was confident when he healed Ash!" Max shrieked. "He knew that his skin could take severe punishment unlike any human or non-Steel or Rock-Type Pokémon." Sakura knew Ash was in a bit of trouble and removed her gloves.

"Ash-sama, here!" she yelled out as she tossed them over. When Ash grabbed them from the air, he noticed the padding in the knuckle area. The differences between Ash's and Sakura's gloves is that Ash's gloves weren't really meant for combat. It was just an accessory that prevented tearing when he threw those balls to capture or summon his Pokémon. Sakura's gloves were like Dan's or Ken's or Ryu's or Akuma's gloves whichever way you see it.

"Padding," he felt when squeezing the portion above the knuckle. He quickly swapped gloves and tossed his to Pikachu. Ash was ready to go. "Ready?" Seth nodded. That's when he began teleporting around the room, trying to confuse the trainer. He was all over the room and Ash head and eyes couldn't keep up. After that teleporting show, he was behind Ash. He lower his shoulder and raced right at him. A shoulder tackle. Ash leaped and twisted, wrapping his legs around Seth's head. In one swift motion, he rolled backwards in midair and flipped Seth over him and onto his back with a hard thud while Ash scored a three point landing. Amazingly, Seth got up almost immediately.

"That was a nice Frankensteiner he pulled off." That's not all Ash could do. Nor Seth. He knelt down and threw both arms forward, those arms stretching out further and further. Ash leaped and faced the ground while being parallel to the ground. He snagged his arms as it began to retract. Seth saw it but he couldn't move in time as Ash landed feet to face, knocking Seth back on his chrome buttocks.

"I've never seen moves like that in a fight," Max gulped, surprised about Ash's fighting style. "Then again, the Pokémon World restricts the use of human fighting." That would explain a lot. Then again, he never saw how he neutralized Jessie. Sakura wondered if maybe there were exceptions to the rules.

"Any chance you can excuse the rules if saying that you were fending off a rapist or maybe stopping a thief?" Max was caught a bit off-guard with this interesting plot. Could you use fighting to stop a thief or stop someone attacking another?

"Never really thought about it but I think you can." He never anticipated a question like that but answered the best way he could. It could mean that Ash can beat up Team Rocket if they try to take Pokémon illegally. Once Seth got up, he cocked his arm back.

"Sonic Boom!" he roared as he flung his arm at high velocity, creating a ripple of light streaming at Ash. Sakura realized something odd about Seth's attack.

"That's Charlie's Sonic Boom!" she recognized. Ash's arm was aglow. You know what's coming. Ash smashed the Sonic Boom but instead of it coming right back at Seth, it vanished altogether. And so did Seth. Ash was dumbfounded. He didn't see what Max and Sakura saw. Seth emerged behind Ash and he was launching a kick. Ash sensed it and leaped clear. As he landed, he felt breezes of kicks. But Seth only swung once. Something wasn't right. Sakura knew why Ash's counterstrike failed. "Ash-sama didn't see the second Sonic Boom Seth launched. That's why his counterstrike didn't work." Two Sonic Booms...that's slick. What looked like a lack of scouting turned out Seth knew what to expect from the start.

"Who knew Ash could rebound projectiles like that?" Max awed. "I thought Wobbufett was an ace for rebounds. Then again, I may be speaking too highly of Team Rocket." Ash bolted in and launched punches, now easier by Sakura's gloves, and even though they weren't doing much, he's using this charge as a momentum maker. One more teleport and Seth was behind Ash with another shoulder tackle. Seeing this trick seemingly a hundred times, Ash flipped backwards and scored a double heel kick, knocking Seth for a loop and landing face-first. He was motionless for a few seconds only to be back on his feet with a grin. He rose without difficulty. He's been struck more times than Juri or Dan or even Vega and yet he got up with barely a wheeze.

"Very good, Ash," he sneered as he floated a few inches. "No wonder you're the top fighter in this circuit. Now, behold my limitless power!" He was still very energized? Seth was still teleporting like before. Ash was vastly annoyed with his unbelievably unharmed body, let alone his tricks.

'I'm hitting him with everything I've got and he doesn't have a dent on his body,' he memorized. 'What's going on?' That's when his mind focused on that sphere where the stomach was suppose to be. Something about that sphere stoked a thought. 'That might be the key to beat him.' Seth drew Ash in, which may have been a bad move. Ash leaped into the vacuum with a fist cocked. Within range... BOOM! That punch was laced with the same Overheat strike Ash used on Bison. Seth flew to the back wall, destroying a few control panels. Sakura remembered that same attack.

"That would explain some of Bison's injuries," she backtracked. "Ash really handed a whoopin' to him. I bore witness." Seeing the advantage, Ash was ready to deposit more hurt onto Seth with more attacks as he sailed over him. Seth was up.

"Shoryuken!" he roared as he kicked up a flying uppercut. Ken's move. Ash grabbed Seth's fist and flipped over, smashing his feet to the sphere again. Seth crashed onto the floor again. Ash was dominating like nobody's business. Seth got up again but squatted and held his sphere to make sure it was in place. To Ash, he's damaged him. "My tanden engine..." That's what he called his stomach?

"Maybe I didn't need that nano boost after all," he gloated. Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves, there's still a battle to finish. Ash soared high, ready to finish this contest.

"I don't think so! Behold the glory that is the Tanden engine!" He twisted his body and bent his back into an arch. The sphere began to rapidly spun and created a twister, catching Ash in midair. Ash began to spin in the same direction the winds were blowing. Ash had to do something to prevent himself from going dizzy and open. His eyes were closed but how much of that was helping? That's when he had an idea and reached for his ball.

"Swellow, Wing Attack on me!" Ash opened the ball and released Swellow which began to rotate the same way with it's wing out. Ash put his hands out, sort of clapping Swellow's wings which were glowing bright. Ash stopped spinning only to begin rotating the opposite direction. Finally, Ash's revolutions were matching Seth's. "Bail out!" Swellow flew away and joined with Max on the sidelines as Ash was glowing blue once more. Like a torpedo, Ash fell and crashed into the eye, the sphere. BAM! That stopped the tornado for good. Suddenly, an explosion between the two with Ash shot right out of it. He landed on his feet but Seth was down, apparently for the count. Ash never looked fresher than he was ever. Seth's chrome was darkened. It was over. Ash won. He's still indefeated. Could no one beat him? Sakura, Pikachu and Max were celebrating Ash's last victory in this circuit.

"He did it!" Max shouted in cheer. Proud of his last win, Ash began to walk from Seth's limp body when a moan alerted him. Seth...it couldn't be.

"It's not over yet!" he growled as he rose back on his feet again. What does it take to keep him on his back? He charged at Ash again...and Ash had his back to him. When he was close, Ash decided to end it for good. He snapped a vicious elbow right to the sphere, cracking it to the point of breaking. Ash wasn't done as he spun a sweeping leg kick, tripping Seth. Finally, Ash sprung from his hands into a mule kick. Seth was fired right to that platform he came in on. Nailed onto it, the platform and he fell back down the pit of their entrance. BANG! A mushroom cloud and fire plumed from the hole in the middle, a good sign that Seth was no more. That didn't mean that Ash and his friends were in the clear.

"Self-destruct sequence activated," a computer relayed. "All personnel evacuate. T-minus 15 minutes and counting. Those who do not clear from this laboratory will be exterminated along with said laboratory." They couldn't make it any clearer, could they? Ash, Sakura, Max and Pikachu found themselves in a sticky situation. Let's see them get out.

* * *

TO BE CONCLUDED...


	11. Mortal Returning

_Chapter Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat or Nightmare on Elm Street. Since Freddy Krueger was added to the MK lineup, who better than him to square off against Akuma._

* * *

_Chapter 11/Final: Mortal Returning_

* * *

The entire laboratory was going up in smoke...and fire. It's not good. Everyone in the lab was evacuating, including the Street Fighter champion, two of his human friends and Pikachu. "T-minus 10 minutes until self-destruction," the computer informed. "Those who are caught up in the blast will benefit the world from overpopulation." Whoever designed the software on the supercomputer had a heck of a time trying to make it cute.

"Man, what a way to be cheerful when you're mere minutes from saying farewell to your life," Max huffed as he, Ash and Sakura ran to find an exit before Seth's laboratory kicked the bucket with a bang. Every corridor hoped that it was the way out. Let's go from bad to worse when the group hit a fork in the hall. It's bad enough if they were just lost. They had to make no mistakes.

"Which way?" Sakura screeched. Ash examined each path, each appearing the same...except one of them had a capsule with something in it besides the liquid. Without thinking, he snatched a board and broke the capsule, a muscular bleached blond male collapsing onto Ash. Sakura gasped at who it was. "Charlie!" This was Guile's missing comrade? What a find. Ash wanted to get moving but didn't want to leave Charlie behind. Fortunately, he spotted wheels.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail that trolley over here!" he ordered. Pikachu raced over and swung Iron Tail on the trolley's handle, launching it to them. Sakura caught the handle and stopped and Max loaded the unconscious Charlie onto the bed and began to wheel him out. Following Pikachu, the humans raced to an exit.

"T-minus five minutes until self-destruction," the computer notified. "Shadaloo and their branches will be underground for a few years as they plot a new way to conquer the world." Well, thanks for the warning. Time to spare, the group found a motorboat to get them away. Everyone was loaded onto the motorboat but new problems surfaced: there's no ignition key and no one knew how to drive a motorboat. "T-minus one minute. Shadaloo is not responsible for lost or destroyed possessions." Could lives count?

"We gotta hurry!" Max shouted. Seeing rope, Ash took charge as he released Swellow and Corphish.

"Swellow, Corphish, pull us to safety!" Swellow took to the sky and Corphish dipped into the ocean. They pulled the motorboat as hard as they could. Sakura knew they were still in the blast radius. She wanted to act.

"Ash-sama, grab onto me!" she called over. Ash never hesitated and latched onto Sakura's stomach. 'Okay, I need to concentrate. Focus all your energy to one point.' Her concentration formed a ball of blue light, much like Ryu and Ken's Hadoken. Max feared that their time ran out. Charlie? Still out. Finally, she cocked her arms and light back. "Shinku...Tengyo...Hadoken!" She released a blasting Hadoken into the water. The force from the release propelled the motorboat clear of the floating laboratory in it's final moments. KABOOM! A huge blast decimated what remained in the laboratory. After Seth's Tanden Engine was ruptured in his bout with Ash, very little chance that he survived. To Ash and Sakura, it was over. All those fights he was in...all those people, good and bad... and now, what's he left with? Nothing but his friends by his side as he watched the giant floating structure sink to the depths.

"I guess...that's it," he murmured. No more fighting. No more battles. All that's left was the burning, smoking, charred remains of the final fight. Sakura saw the disappointed face painted on Ash.

"Ash-sama..." After all was said and done, what could they do now? That's when Ash's cell rang...which was in Max's pocket. He answered.

"Hello?" he responded.

"Is Ash with you?" Chun-Li asked on the other side of the line.

"Yeah, hold on." Max handed Ash the cell in which he picked up the talk.

"Talk to me," he spoke.

"Ash, what happened to you?" Chun-Li snapped.

"I was issued one more challenge against my will...but won hands down." Suddenly, Charlie began to moan. Yes, he was alive. Ash made quick note on that. "By the way, any chance you can contact Guile? We found a survivor he may be enjoyed to see." Chun-Li had to be wondering who Ash was referring to.

"What's...going on?" Charlie weakly groaned as he began to stir. Chun-Li heard things and removed her cell from her ear. It couldn't be, she had to be thinking.

"Was that...Charlie?" she finally believed. As if to say that she's correct...

"Surprise!" Ash admitted. Chun-Li's heart skipped. It's impossible to ponder how but Charlie was with the living.

"Let me talk to him!" She sounded real passionate. She wanted to know for herself that this was the same Charlie she knew. Ash obliged and offer the phone to Charlie. Confused, Charlie grabbed the phone. He's still adjusting to the current time.

"Hello?" he said. Chun-Li felt like she was in heaven. For sometime, Charlie had been missing since he stormed Shadaloo.

"Charlie!" The voice...no mistake.

"C-Chun-Li, is that you?"

"Oh my god! It's been a long time. Wait until Guile hears about this." The word about Guile huffed a chuckle from Charlie.

"If I remember, I still owe him a few drinks on the town." Chun-Li teared up, still disbelieving the voice on the other side was a man that went AWOL on his friends. Max used his hand-held device to find their location.

"Can you give me your coordinates? We'll send a rescue unit to your location." He wished he knew where he was. Max handed the hand-held with the screen showing land in the east...but the marked said they were in the ocean. The coordinates were marked in the upper left hand corner.

"Zero degrees latitude, zero degrees longitude." The epicenter of Earth?

"We're on our way!" Disconnected, Charlie closed the cell and tossed it back to Ash.

"Guess we gotta wait until help arrives," Max shrugged. No one could argue since no one knew how to drive a boat. There wasn't an oar or a key to start the motor and Charlie's still waking up after being out for so long.

"So, who are you and what's going on?" he asked Ash. Ash knew he needed to explain his presence here as Pikachu snuggled with Sakura.

"I was invited to participate in the latest tournament from my home world," he began. "And I'm the last man standing meaning I'm the champion." Some statement. Charlie chuckled, humored to meet the latest winner.

"That's Ash-sama for you," Sakura giggled. Suddenly, Pikachu's ears twitched. He heard something coming, possibly rescue. He spun to see lights approaching.

("That's gotta be rescue!") he squeaked. All turned to the lights to see a fleet of military helicopters fast approaching. Ash wanted to light the night to confirm the location.

"Pikachu, fire a Thunderbolt to the sky," he ordered. Pikachu listened and fired a massive beam of lightning to the air. Unbelievably, Guile was riding the front copter. He knew that lightning show as Pikachu's.

"That's them down there!" he told the pilot. Complying, the pilot descended the copter until it was nearly touching water. The hatch opened and there with a glee on his face was Guile. Charlie and Guile were reunited and wherever Charlie's grave marker was, no doubt it was going to be torn down.

* * *

_(Guile's P.O.V.)_

_I never once believed that a good friend of mine would die so easily to the hands of Shadaloo. Then again, I never would've believed that my latest recruit would be the one to find him alive. It's still hard to believe that it's been two days since Ash was taken from the Duke University Hospital to winning against the head of a Shadaloo branch, let alone that he's fully recovered from the fight with Vega. Thanks to Ash, I had to tell Bison the bad news. His crimes ultimately led to a speedy trial in which he was convicted on all charges and immediately sentenced to death. Shadaloo will surely collapse on the news that Bison has been executed. The day after Charlie was found by the youngest crack team in my existence, Charlie and I had our night out. I could whip his ass at any time, but he can still drink me under the table. All that's left is to send Ash and Max back home...and one other who's grown fancy to him. Not sure how Ryu will react to Sakura leaving for Ash._

* * *

_(Metro City, USA/2 days since debriefing)_

Ash, Max and Pikachu were enjoying the final moments in the world of violence between humans for the thrill and payday. For Ash, he's had enough. "I actually approve the idea of hanging the gloves up for good," Max agreed...to the fisticuffs, right?

"Yeah, it was fun but nothing says adventure like exploring new regions and new Pokémon," Ash acknowledged. Pikachu was happy that Ash was now thinking of his Pokémon with this being over with. "I know I'm gonna disappoint plenty of people who saw my triumph from Dan to Bison to Seth." It's a good possibility that he won't defend his "belt" in the next tournament, whenever that is. "But I'll tell ya, I'm gonna miss these people a lot." Max and Pikachu understood Ash's minor dilemma. He fought with plenty and made friends at the same time.

"I hear ya. I guess after seeing them, you don't wanna forget them." Ash chuckled, feeling how correct Max was. Sakura walked onto the scene, spotting Ash and Max.

"Hey!" she called. The boys twisted and greeted Sakura to their meeting. Getting comfortable, Sakura was rather dumbfounded with the announcement of Ash retiring from the world of fighting. "You're...calling it a career?" Ash nodded, saying that his rookie round was also his final round.

"I'm a Pokémon Trainer, not a Street Fighter," he expressed. "I just decided to try it to get my skills back together physically and mentally." That's when he had a realization. He came to boost his confidence and motivation. And he did with overwhelming results. "Now that I think about it, I did just that. Sure it was mostly by my own hands and some help with my Pokémon." Now, he's being modest.

("Really, Ash?") Pikachu squeaked. The other two had a laugh which was about to be short. Sakura believed it was his battle against Vega that prompted his decision to hang it up...and she wasn't saddened by it in the least.

"Ash-sama, I respect your decision," she answered. "I've even thought about it for a while myself. I...I was wondering if I could come to your world as well." The boys had to be wondering why she wanted to be in the world full of Pokémon instead of training with Ryu or traveling with Dan. "When I heard that Ryu-san's friend's son was threatened by those adults from your world, it made me think that if I was there to protect the innocent people and Pokémon, the world would be in easier hands." Fascinating proposal. Her concern for Mel when Team Rocket tried to take Pikachu in Japan swayed her to pursue justice in her honor. To Ash, this would sound like a win-win idea. "In a sense, I can stay by your side for as long as I desire." The win-win. Their joyous moment was about to be shortened. A flash of light spooked the group and turned to the direction. A vortex of yellow bewitched them.

"Now what do you suppose that is?" Max questioned. They wouldn't need to wait long. First emerging was a masked man in a yellow mesh over his black suit. The only thing visible was his white eyes but check out that spiky decal! The second was scary. He was shorter but scarier with those big and shark-size teeth. Bald but wore a white martial arts suit and black pants. A third man was whiter than glue with tattoos over his body. He only wore pants and gauntlets. Next was a raven-haired female in a scanty clad violet swimsuit and boots. She wore a veil over her mouth and nose but man, she was hot with those big boobs. Finally, one more man popped out. He was also raven-haired with a ponytail. Who says men don't look good with ponytails? He wore a red royal uniform and sported a slick but wicked goatee. The five-some gazed at the foursome, two of them not even worth the visit.

"What do you suppose they want?" Sakura asked. The man in the royal uniform gazed at the Street Fighter champion.

"I was imagining the Street Fighter champion to be...larger than this," he spoke. He seemed to be their leader. Ash knew that he would have expected someone like Guile or Hakan or even Bison to whet his fancy...but not to be.

"Beggars can't be choosers," he said. Apparently not, leaving the leader astoundingly disappointed. "So you came for me, huh?"

"I did. I am Shang Tsung. I run a fighting tournament called Mortal Kombat. Only the best can participate in this tournament and as the champion of this year's Street Fighter victory, you have been declared as an elite fighter worthy of this chance." Participate in this Mortal Kombat tournament? Shang Tsung's glare got on Max's nerves. Sakura was ready to help out Ash unaware that help of odd sorts were emerging on the scene.

"We're not including you, kiddie!" the female hissed at Sakura. It didn't deter Sakura from backing off.

"Mileena, behave yourself!" Shang Tsung scolded. "You'll have to excuse her, she gets a bit excited when new...worthy fighters appear before us." Or interfere in Sakura's case. Ash eyed the others, still a little startled by the fanged man. "You seem curious about the cast I brought." Ash was but wasn't. Shang Tsung was about to understand.

"A little," he replied. "But I thought I would let you know that I'm calling it quits from fighting." Shang Tsung was caught off-guard. Ash told Shang Tsung that he's retiring, possibly keeping his undefeated record from tarnishing. To Shang Tsung, he was cowardly running from a fight for bragging rights.

"You...choose not to participate?" Yeah, that's his choice. If he doesn't want to participate in your Mortal Kombat...

"It was fun to use my fists for the time being but I'm more at home with my Pokémon than I am here." Shang Tsung felt dejected. Here was a perfectly good fighter and he turned down the offer.

"I see..." He turned to his man in black...and yellow. "Scorpion, be my guest." Ash and Sakura figured he wasn't taking no for an answer. Scorpion stood forth with a hand at his side. He then fired a spear at Ash.

"_**Get over here!"**_ he bellowed. The spear was attached to a chain and was taking direct aim at the trainer. It looked like a perfect shot...but it was about to get snuffed by another direct shot. A purple fireball came out of nowhere and blew out the spear. Scorpion had no choice but to reel the remaining chain back as his attack failed. Ash and Sakura were stunned that Scorpion's spear was cutoff.

"Was that a Hadoken?" he wondered.

"It sure looked like it," Sakura jumped, still befuddled from wince it came. Pikachu looked back, thinking that's where the Hadoken stemmed. He spotted the redhead wrecking machine, Akuma.

("Akuma's here!") he squeaked in fear. Pikachu's call turned all to the oncoming holocaust of a man strolling to the area. Soon enough, he wedged himself between the former fighting lovebirds. They're still in love but gave up on fighting.

"I did not come here to save you," he grumbled. "I sensed an odd energy nearby. That's why I decided to stop by." Feelings were mutual.

"Well, nice to see you too," Ash sarcastically acknowledged. Once aligned with their possibly worst teammate ever, Akuma wanted the 411. "They came to get me since I'm the Street Fighter king, despite already announcing my retirement." Akuma wasn't too satisfied. Which one, Ash being force to enter Mortal Kombat or the retirement?

"You're not retiring until you've faced me." Akuma didn't sound like he was joking but Ash thought it deserved a little laugh.

"Is _that_ how it works?" Surprisingly, Akuma joined Ash in grin flashing. No way that this was a sign of friendship. Shang Tsung felt ignored by the two conversing.

"Who are you?" he questioned the new man. Now Akuma turned to Shang Tsung.

"I am Akuma," he introduced himself. "I am the master of the Satsui no Hadou and I would enjoy teaching you the meaning of pain." Shang Tsung was not impressed.

"I do not care about your discipline or your attitude." In a mocking one-upsmanship, Akuma couldn't hold this mock.

"You did not specify what information you desired. You just wanted to know who I am." The plain-and-simple routine. "Besides, you bring distrust and appall forcing a fighter to join the ranks of your attitude." That attitude made Shang Tsung snarl. Akuma studied the team he brought including Scorpion and Mileena. Needless to say, he wasn't awed. "This is your lineup? Pathetic!" Harsh! Mr. White (not his real name) seethed at Akuma's scowling rating.

"You dare mock those from the Outworld?" he snapped. "Perhaps our lord, Shao Khan would dispute your claim. OR perhaps you're aligned with that Thunder God, Raiden." Akuma never flinched at the names. Mr. Jaws (not real name also) had an idea.

"Quan Chi, maybe we should bring both him and the champ to Outworld?" he suggested. "Besides, he's already claimed that the boy can't retire until he's fought him, right?" Backed to a figurative corner, Ash and Sakura set themselves in defensive position. Shang Tsung just came for Ash, not Akuma.

"Quan Chi, Baraka, I only came for the boy," he argued. "And I won't leave without him." That's when Shang Tsung opened things up with shooting three burning skulls out in a swift conga line. No, no dancing. No chance to reach, either.

"Hadoken!" shouted Ryu and Ken together with two blue Hadokens zipping at the skulls. One Hadoken shot one down and the other on the second skull, leaving one skull for Ash to knock back with that glowing hand. THWACK! The skull had more velocity heading right back at Shang Tsung who was struck heavily and knocked onto his rear. Ryu and Ken arrived to Akuma's side, much to each's chagrin.

"Never thought I'd get to fight alongside you," Ryu huffed.

"Don't get any wishes through," Akuma snarled back. "You still lack some discipline. Meantime, we need to send these guys back." That made Ryu chuckle a bit.

"For the first time, we actually agree on something." The odds were now square. Five Street Fighters versus five Mortal Kombat warriors. Mileena raced after Sakura.

"You're mine, skank!" she sneered with a sai in each hand. Sakura was feeling like Ash before when he battled Vega. Mileena swiped at Sakura but she leaped and flipped clear, grabbing her enemy by the shoulders. As she dropped, her legs were straight out for a moment then propelled back, striking the knees. Mileena buckled to the ground in some pain but Sakura was just starting. Quan Chi and Ash were fighting and as predicted, Ash was on top. He still had one more fight left in him.

"This should slow him down," he growled at the speed of the trainer/Street Fighter/target. He chanted something and focused the strike at Ash's head. The head was covered in a light but for a brief second. The light faded. "He's unaffected by my Trance?" It's best to note that Ash had his hat on this time unlike his previous bouts. POW! Flying knee to Quan Chi's chin. For the coup de gras, how about a double dropkick to the sternum? BOOM! One hard bounce on the grass and Quan Chi traveled back through the vortex. One down. Ryu and Scorpion scrapped and neither side gave an inch. Scorpion decided to end it.

"_**You're mine!"**_ he roared as he fired another spear. Ryu didn't stutter and caught the point. **_"Come here!"_** He reeled the warrior back to him with some speed. To Ryu, textbook.

"Checkmake!" he grinned. "Metsu..." The Metsu Hadoken? There's no fire to burn in his hand...but how about a missile jab to the gut. Scorpion reeled from that blast to the gut but didn't have time to brace for an uppercut to the chin. The cut was so vicious, Scorpion's chin and jaw were literally pushed up his skull. "...Shoryuken!" That sick uppercut launched Scorpion like Jessie and James. Well, like a rocket anyway. "Ken, now!" What could Ken have since he's busy with Baraka? Baraka ran at him with blades protruding out of their arms.

"Fancy but can it match this?" Ken scoffed. He corked his body like a tootsie roll when Baraka slashed...but Ken floated with a blazing fire kick. Action! Twisting around, he walloped Baraka over and over with spinning blaze kicks. One last kick knocked Baraka into the air, just a little past Scorpion who was falling from that Metsu Shoryuken. Both fell parallel and adjacent to each. "One more for good measure!" One final blazing kick smashed the teeth out of the beast-like man. If that wasn't bad enough, Ken's kick clocked Scorpion via Baraka's skull. Both flew right back into the vortex and possibly end up in a pile with Quan Chi. Three outs but the side wasn't retired yet. Regardless, Ryu and Ken fist bumped each other for their accomplishments. Shang Tsung and Mileena were left. Pikachu wanted to get into the mix a bit. Mileena got ticked at how dominant Sakura fought and was on top.

"No more miss hybrid!" she scowled as she ripped off her mask. Anything hot about her before was thrown to the wayside. Her mouth was just like Baraka's. The horrific sight made Sakura flinch. Wide open for Mileena as she arrived and grabbed the teen. "Prepare to die!" THWACK! Not on Pikachu's watch as he slashed Iron Tail across Mileena's face, breaking those fangs she had for teeth. Mileena screamed in pain from her teeth being chipped. Opening present, Sakura readied her signature move.

"Haru Ranman time!" she sneered. "Thanks, Pikachu." Sakura spun around with a leg sweep and followed it with a spinning punt to Mileena's chin and propelled her to the sky. Sakura and Pikachu leaped for the sky. "Attack!" BAM! Double hammer fist plus Iron Tail equals extra pain. And that's half of the action. Bombing from the air, Mileena was in bad trouble but wasn't going to get help. Quan Chi, Baraka and Scorpion were all sent back and Shang Tsung was busy with Akuma. How about bad to worse? Ash positioned himself under the falling ugly chick who was under his chick...and mouse who was zapping her legs. This should be good. Ash sprung to his hands and crushed a mule kick to Mileena's spine, suspending her in midair while Ash cleared. KABOOM! Sakura smashed her electrified feet onto Mileena's chest with a bolt of lightning shooting into her. The torqued kick bounced Mileena up a bit and Ash decided to become David Beckham. PUNT! Mileena's head, though hideous, isn't a soccer ball. Still, that punt sent Mileena back wince she came.

"And that's a wrap!" Ash imitated Sakura, making her giggle. That wasn't bad. All that's left was Shang Tsung...and he was fighting Akuma valiantly. They locked shoulders.

"I will not leave without the boy!" Shang Tsung demanded. "I will do everything in my power to get him!" That's when he morphed into Scorpion...except blue and not as spiky. Akuma jumped back and viewed the new face from Shang Tsung who cackled. "How do you like? I can alter my appearance to my discretion." Shang Tsung fired a blue ball and hit Akuma who instantly froze in place. Shang Tsung reverted back to his skin. He nailed Akuma with an uppercut, knocking the frost off but hurt him badly. Shang Tsung charged once more with a sword in his hand.

"Akuma!" Ash shouted, trying to support him. Recovering in time, the sword was about to slice him up. Not on Akuma's watch. Shang Tsung leaped to the air, ready to carve Ash's protector for the moment.

"Accept death!" he growled as he wound up a kick. POW! Right to the solar plexus! That kick lifted Shang Tsung high to the air and Akuma began to spin himself into a miniature tornado. He flew up and nailed Shang Tsung with another kick to the chest. A Japanese symbol popped up at the same time and Shang Tsung was flattened. "The other realm awaits." Finally, the symbol shattered, Akuma flew past the wounded Mortal Kombat host who fell back to Earth. Unbelievably, Shang Tsung rose back to his feet, a little unsteady. "You don't quit, do you?"

"No," he snapped a reply. "If I have to drag you along, so be it." Akuma's back faced the vortex. He knew the only way to send Shang Tsung back to his realm would be like he said...and turned to Ash.

"Kid, listen. One day, I will find you and see if you really are worthy of being the champion. Until then, gain strength." He flashed a grin, telling Ash he would be fine. It made Ash a little more concern.

"How noble. You accept your fate?" Suddenly, Shang Tsung swiftly swung his arms up and geysers of fire hit Akuma, knocking him to the host. "Welcome to Mortal Kombat!" Shang Tsung finished Akuma with a spinning back kick, shooting him into the vortex. Ash and Ryu shrieked his name but it was a pointless shout. Now Shang Tsung had the others to worry about without Akuma running interference. "Now, young champion...it's time to fight for your life!" He'd wish. Red arms snared Shang Tsung so fast, he froze. When there were red arms, it was Hakan and he was lubed up.

"He's not ready so..." he teased as he viced on his prey harder. "It's back _you_ go!" Finally, Shang Tsung slipped out like a bar of soap held incorrectly. Shang Tsung was in the air for a little bit before falling onto Hakan who slithered him around his hip and began swirling him around his midsection like a showboating basketball player. Lastly, Hakan had Shang Tsung on his shoulders. "Goodbye!" In a zing, Shang Tsung was zipped back into the vortex which vanished a few seconds later. Hakan saved Ash but was late saving Akuma. Those from that other realm came for him and took Akuma as a consolation. There was nothing Ash could do now. Ryu tapped Ash on the shoulder.

"Akuma is a strong fighter, regardless who he tangles with," he tried to ease. "I'm sure we'll see him again." It did lift a little burden, enough that he needed to worry about getting back home with Max, Pikachu...and Sakura. Hakan made it to Ash with some news of his own.

"By the way, young man...the army men were looking for you. They said that your ride home was ready." So this was it. Max and Pikachu were finally going back to the Pokémon World and they were excited about it. Giving in that Akuma would be fine in the Mortal Kombat tournament, Ash accepted his trip back home. Same with Sakura.

"Wow, Ash-sama!" she cheered. "I can't wait to see your home world!" Ash had enough confidence to return home. Ryu was stunned that Sakura chose to go with Ash but ultimately trusted her decision. Hakan stepped by Max with a present: a bottle of oil. It's the same oil he smears on his body when he fights.

"A little present for your trip." That was very thoughtful of him but why? "Not only are they common in Turkish Oil Wrestling, they also provide a zest to any culinary meal." Who knew the oil was also used to add flavor? It better not be tasting the shin of a Turkish wrestler. Ryu engaged Sakura with parting words for her and Ash.

"I know that Ash's world may not give you the same leniency as here," he warned. "But remember that no matter what happens, there's someone you can turn to. I don't know what plans you have over there but be careful and take care of yourself." Kind words to learn.

"Thank you, Ryu-san," she acknowledged. Now it was Ash's turn.

"And Ash, you've shown your strength and don't get worked up about what Akuma said. You're great, regardless of what you do." Now Ash allowed the words to seep to his head.

"You got it," he smiled. With that, Ash, Sakura, Max and Pikachu proceeded onward to meet up with Guile and Charlie. Their next destination: home.

* * *

_(Shang Tsung's Courtyard, Outworld, unknown time passed)_

An empty courtyard happened to be where Akuma was meditating. Was he battling long? Did he even battle? A ponytail blond female in a black vest and pants spotted the powerful Street Fighter. "Kinda wondering where you took off to," she motioned. Distracted from meditating, Akuma glared at her with those evil eyes. "Raiden asked me to bring you back to base. Look, whether you appreciate it or not, all I am is the messenger." Akuma was peeved at her but she didn't deserve a thrashing like what Ash did to Team Rocket.

"I'm just wondering how that one kid is doing in his training," Akuma murmured. His mind was on Ash. "I made a will to fight him one day and I plan to hold the promise." He rose to his feet and ready to walk out. Not so fast.

"Mr. Akuma," sounded Shang Tsung. "Ms. Sonya Blade, fancy catching you two in the evening." He, along with Quan Chi and a Mileena look-alike in blue, entered the scene. "There isn't any love interests going on between you two, is there?" Neither Akuma or Sonya appreciated that tease.

"Get real, creep," she spat. "I came to pick him up on Raiden's orders." Shang Tsung would disagree.

"That is not an option for your Thunder God. I have a challenge for Akuma and what better way to match a nightmare with another nightmare?" Shang Tsung had a plan. That's when a stream of fire flared and out popped a man in a black fedora hat. His face was charred and warped. He wore a red/black striped sweater and pants but the scary feature was the pair of steel claws for gloves. His hideous laugh caused Sonya to back off. "I present the Nightmare from Elm Street, Freddy Krueger." He shiveringly sneered at Akuma who didn't flinch.

"Ah, the fearless type," Freddy cackled. "How quaint. Perhaps I can show you the meaning of fear." Nothing jarred Akuma, not Freddy either.

"Meaning of fear," he huffed. "How weak. The meaning of pain drives more fear than fear itself." This became an equal contest. Fear versus pain. Who would dominate? Both leaped and began action with Akuma landing a kick. It was a fight that Akuma could win. Quickly, he hovered to Freddy and landed multiple strikes, leveling burnt face. Akuma was winning...

* * *

_(Pallet Town, Kanto Region, one month after return)_

A small town stood in the horizon for Ash, Pikachu and Sakura. "So, this is your hometown, huh?" Sakura guessed. Pallet Town it was.

"This is," Ash replied. "It's where I acquired Pikachu and started my journey to be a Pokémon Master." It had been a while since Ash became Street Fighter champion. Wonder what happened since Ash's dominant victory?

"I wonder how everyone's reacting to your Top Eight finish? I mean, ever since your loss before being a Street Fighter, you've been nothing but a freight train and won all of those battles until the last two." Ever since his return, he lost two fights?

"Well, it's nice that I lost after advancing so far in the Evergrand Tournament. I didn't want my winning streak to get to my head and that lost to Agatha...like I can beat a member of the Elite Four that easily?" He's taking those losses in stride. They arrived at a white house where Ash reached for the door to enter the residence.

"Ash, you're home!" sounded an older female with glee. The three spun to see an older brunette in a pink button-down t-shirt and white skirt. Ash was happy to see someone who knew him.

"Hi, Mom," he greeted. "I'm home." Indeed he was. Mom went right to the topic.

"I'm very proud of you for making it to the Top Eight and representing Pallet Town in your run." He felt proud but she didn't know about another battle which he was victorious in.

"Thanks." Sakura liked the compliments Ash's mother offered...only it caught the mother's attention. Now the teen fighter faced the trainer's parent.

"You're not Ash's traveling partner, are you?" Sakura hiccuped in surprise. She started to itch her hair nervously.

"Well, uh..." she stuttered. "Okay...how should I explain this situation?" Before long, she had an answer which could be more wild than Ash's trip to fight Bison. "I'm your son's coach. He found himself in a funk when I came along and steered him with new tools of the trade." A coach...nice lie. "Of course, the more I worked with him..." She's starting to blush. To the mother, there was more to her tale. So did Pikachu.

("Not bad acting,") he chimed. Yeah, she was pretty convincing for the while. As if Ash's mother saw through her lie, she snickered with a grit which told Sakura that there was no secret she couldn't uncover.

"You've fallen for him, haven't you?" she figured out. Sakura was backed into a corner but was it not as bad or worse than when Vega tried to kill her back in the US? Sure, a talon near your heart is pretty scary but on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being petrified, what could it be like to meet your lover's parents?

"What gives you that idea?" she yelped.

"Easy. I had that same reaction when I met Ash's father." That made Sakura calm down greatly. Who knew the mother behaved liked her? "By the way, what's your name?" Feeling better, Sakura was no longer scared about this mom's wrath.

"Sakura Kasugano."

"Delia Ketchum." Both shook hands, a sign of trust. Be helpful to Ash and be respectful to mom. KABOOM! A huge explosion rocked the ground and nearly knocked Pikachu off of Ash's shoulder.

"What was that?" Not an earthquake. Smoke doesn't necessarily apply with it.

"It's coming from Prof. Oak's Lab!" Ash called as he ran toward the blast. Trouble brewing, Delia and Sakura chose to pursue Ash and to the lab. When Ash arrived in the backyard of a big building, a huge tank chased Pokémon left and right with a giant net. There was the big giveaway about the identity of the thieves: the big red "R." "Team Rocket!" Sakura and Delia made it to see the giant tank.

"I've had just about enough of those goons!" Delia growled. Same with Ash when rumbling shook the ground. The tank's rotating to new positions so that ain't it.

("Ash, your stampede!") Pikachu informed. Ash turned to see a herd of brown bulls. Help had arrived.

"All Tauros!" Ash yelled out. "Take Down!" The bulls kicked their speed up a notch as they charged at the tank. BASH! That combined attack snapped the net off the hinge and killed the wheels. Now the tank was immobile. The glass container was empty meaning no Pokémon was taken. "Bulls-eye! Awesome, Tauros!" The Rockets came out but these Rockets were different. One was a blond pigtailed woman with stars at the tips while the other was a big turquoise-haired man. They were upset that someone destroyed their tank. "Cassidy and Butch? Boy, how long has it been?"

"I keep telling you, my name is Butch!" the turquoise-haired man roared. That's what he just called you.

"That's what I said." Butch had a second to re-hear what Ash called him before. He was right.

"You did. My bad. Habit." Habit for him to snap at someone calling Butch by something other than his real name? That's a problem.

"Get your head outta the clouds, Biff!" Cassidy tried to straighten out her partner. Biff? That angered the partner.

"What did I just get done talking about?" Ash and Sakura raced in while the two were distracted. Delia was in for a show. "My name is Butch!" After his venomous tirade on Cassidy, he turned to Ash who fired a spinning back fist. BANG! Butch was out before hitting the dirt. Cassidy and Delia were stunned that Ash used his own hands instead of Pikachu. Sakura was next and spinning like a ballerina.

"Shunpukyaku!" she yelled as she scored kicks on Cassidy's face. The last kick sent her crashing into the tank. This was the first time Delia saw Ash and Sakura being violent without Pokémon and Cassidy got outraged.

"What's the matter with you?" she roared. "Trainers are prohibited from engaging contact without the use of Pokémon! That's the law of the land, you twerps!" Ash and Sakura huffed as if they knew something those Rockets didn't.

"We're very aware of the law," Ash sneered. "_Normally,_ we're not obligated to physically hurt you." Then why break the law?

"However, there's a loophole you forgot about," Sakura countered. "By all means necessary, we can use any method to prevent crime from occurring as an act of defense and/or protecting valuables...like the Pokémon for instance." Slick! They had a chance to speak to the proper authorities to have a clarification of the law. Cassidy felt screwed. Butch was still out. In a stubborn retaliation, Cassidy jumped into a turret of the tank and aimed a cannon at the kids. Now the two had to act in defense and Sakura was warming up her Shinku Hadoken...and Ash added to the hold. The Shinku was looking more like a Metsu with the Hadoken the size Ryu had it. "Here we go!" Cassidy would be better running off for the woods. She didn't.

"Metsu..." they chanted in unison. "Hadoken!" They fired the big fireball which blasted the tank. KABLAM! The huge blast destroyed whatever was left of the tank and sent the two flying unconscious. No words to say farewell? Oh well. Both heroes celebrated while Pikachu was on Delia's shoulder to see the magical moment. Ash and Sakura laughed before they locked lips in front of the blaze behind them. Delia was still pretty shocked that Ash could fight alone but awed that he saw clearance to use whatever he could to protect his Pokémon. And now, he's got a partner in crime fighting: the former Street Fighter Sakura Kasugano who learned from Ryu but loved Ash more.

"That's my son," Delia awed more. "And my daughter as well." She approved Sakura and she felt grateful for Ash. So did Ash. Ash could prepare for that match against Akuma...but let's let him relax with his new Hadoken.

* * *

THE END


End file.
